A hot griddle sizzles over the fire as a young man swiftly pours the batter and spreads it out in one smooth swirl. Next, he sprinkles a mix of sliced onions, beetroot and a potato mix and pours a copious amount of oil. A few flips later, the batter emerges on a dented steel plate as a glorious golden dosa.
On another cart, a man dunks small discs of dough into smoking oil. The puffed-up discs emerge as crisp puris. They later rest in a large platter from where they are served on a plate with a spicy potato curry and a large syrupy jalebi.
Meanwhile, tea boils on a stove at a nearby shack, idlis steam in a large steamer and rasgullas rest in a container. Men, women and children hover between the carts, plates in hand and a smile on their face. Welcome to a typical morning in Jamshedpur, a town that lives to eat.
Set up a century ago by the legendary industrialist Jamsetji Tata to support the steel factory, Jamshedpur is today a colourful town with an electric mix of communities. It is also home to some of the best food in the country. Bengali, Bihari, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati and Parsi influences, married with fresh produce and local culinary practices, make the cuisine here unusual and interesting.
Dosas with upma filling? Wow. I’m a true-blue South Indian and i’ve grown up eating dosa and upma (on the same plate), but never one-inside-the-other 😀 . Thanks for this fun tidbit. 🙂
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