Delectable Masala Dosas From a Cart at Washington Square

Eat with your fingers for maximum enjoyment!

Carnivores: Vegetarian and even vegan food won’t bite you! And it’s often just as good or even better than meat-bearing fare. A case in point is the masala dosa available from the vendor called NY Dosas, usually parked at lunchtime near the intersection of LaGuardia and West 4th on the south side of Washington Square. For around $5, and available in several permutations, you get a giant crisp pancake made of fermented lentil and rice batter and stuffed with a potato mixture that sometimes contains nuts, a real South Indian treat. It comes with a spicy soup called sambar and coconut chutney for dipping the pancake. Eat it with your fingers for maximum authenticity.

The cart’s operator is Thiru Kumar, a Sri Lankan who was once the dosa master at Flushing’s sainted Dosa Hutt, and he makes several varieties, some with extra vegetables, others made hot as hell by painting a fiery spice mixture inside the pancake as it cooks. If you can work your way between him and the chain link fence, you can watch the fascinating process unfold – every dosa is cooked to order.

There are other treats available, and unusual Sri Lankan sodas, too, including wood apple. Now that the weather is improving, Kumar is there nearly every weekday plus Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you want to call to make sure he’s there, try 917-710-2092.

Check out some other places around town to cop dosas.