It was a decade ago that Madras Palace first began dealing dosas out of a narrow storefront on lower Lexington Avenue. These delectable vegetarian crepes are made from a batter of ground rice and urad dal (a tiny beige bean) that's allowed to ferment into frothiness over a period of a day or two. With a vigorous swirling motion the batter is spread on a griddle, heaped with a potato mixture, then rolled into a thick blunt. It's served with a dense coconut chutney for scooping, and a thin soup called sambar for dipping and drinking. Though the pancake part has been around southern India since the 10th century, the idea of stuffing and rolling probably came from the French, who plied the Coromandel Coast south of Madras in... More >>>