A taste of Mulbagal in Mysuru

Mulbagal dosa is tickling the taste buds of Mysureans with its distinctive extra crunch on the outside and super softness inside. A must-visit for tourists and denizens.

Shilpa P

Mysureans who were missing the red chutney-dosa lined dosa of Ramya hotel (now closed), or longing for the extra soft Mylari dosa, or the crispy GTR (Gayathri Tiffin Room) one, are now not complaining. They have another special masala dosa to savour which is unique -- extra crispy on the outside and soft inside with a thin lining of red onion chutney. Wrapped inside is aloo palya tempered with spices. You can enjoy this with medium spicy groundnut chutney. This special dosa is served at Mulbagal Dosa Corner on the first floor of Pai Vista Hotel.

It’s hardly two months since this new dosa was introduced to Mysuru, and it’s already the weekly routine of many Mysureans and also tourists visiting Mysuru. According to the manager of this hotel, Lava K G, at least 200 to 250 people are dropping by for this dosa per day during weekdays and over 500 people on weekends. Many prominent personalities of the city like city police commissioner Dr Chandragupta, superintendent of police R Chethan, and the Chamaraja constituency MLA L Nagendra are regular visitors.

Unveiling the tale of this special dosa, 29-year-old K S Nagendra Babu says, “My paternal grandmother Radha Rukminamma of Mulbagal invented this special dosa and introduced it to people in a small mess at her home. Later, my father, Sudhakaraiah Shetty continued the tradition and introduced the dosa at his small hotel, Lakshmi tiffin centre in Mulbagal”.

Babu discontinued his studies when he was in the 9th grade and started learning the art of this dosa at the age of 13 years, continuing the tradition for the third generation. “I have been invited by several Indian families who are staying abroad to prepare this special dosa for their weddings and functions. They want to have a special dish with a unique taste from our land. Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, Dubai have devoured our dosas,” Babu added.

While Babu was associated with Pai group of hotels, he joined hands with them for a dedicated Mulbagal dosa corner at Pai Viceroy Hotel in Bengaluru recently, and later at Pai Vista in Mysuru. “While we continue to have this special dosa at our small Lakshmi tiffin centre too, we now also have a dedicated Mulbagal dosa corner at Mulbagal too. I have got offers from famous hotels in Vijayawada and Chennai to collaborate,” he says.

Speaking on the unique taste of this special dosa, Babu says, “We use a special thandvala tava from Kerala and top quality rice. We do not use oil but only pure Nandini ghee to roast the dosa. Unlike other masala dosas which are crispy or soft on both sides, our dosa is both crispy and soft.”

Four chefs trained to prepare this special dosa. Srinivasa H S, Manjunath V, Rajesh H N, Prashanth M, have worked for about nine years with Babu at Mulbagal and have now come to Mysuru to showcase their charm. The chefs shared the secret of their dosa: “While a regular masala dosa usually requires a minute on heated tava, we roast it for at least for three minutes to give it that extra crunch.”

“I am a foodie. The taste of this dosa is completely unique from the rest of the dosas I have tried in Mysuru. I visit this place at least once every week, and every time I have a guest from outside town, I make sure to bring them here,” says Aahana, a regular customer. The outlet is an aesthetically designed hotel with the embossed design of the Mysuru Palace painted in gold on one of the walls , giving it a true feel of the royal city. The other dishes on the menu are shavige, puliyogare and chitranna alongside sabbakki idli.