Every dosa lover’s must have, Davangere’s Benne Masala Dosa

Butter Dosa, also known as Davangere Benne Dose, is a variety of dosa that originated in the Indian state of Karnataka’s Davanagere city. For English, the phrase “benne dose” literally means “butter dose.” It is made by adding a significant amount of butter to the usual dosa recipe and served with coconut chutney. The batter is quite distinctive and is made on a wood-fired skillet using a combination of rice, dal, puffed rice, etc. It resembles masala dosa or setting dosa but is smaller, composed of rice batter, and contains a lot more butter. Butter is liberally put on top when it is served.

A few of the benne’s variations:

• Benne Masala Dosa
• Benne khaali Dosa
• Benne open Dosa

History

Davanagere Benne Dose has a fascinating past that began in 1928. With her children, a woman by the name of Chennamma immigrated to Davanagere where she began making Dosa, Chutney, as well as Potato Palya according to her own special recipe. She opened a little restaurant in Davanagere nearby Vasantha Talkies in front of Savalagi Drama Theater, which became well-known for its flavor.

At first, she made Ragi batter for her dosas. Later, in 1938, her kids began making dosas using rice batter, puffed rice, dal, and copious amounts of butter. Very quickly, this gained enormous popularity among the people. Shanthappa and Mahadevappa, two of Chennamma’s sons, continued this. They each started their own restaurants.

The oldest Benne Dose restaurant in Davanagere, “Shantappa Dosa Hotel,” was founded by Shanthappa in 1944 and therefore is located close to the bell tower in Old Davanagere. Ganesh, his son, is currently in charge of this. When accompanied by a side of hot coconut chutney as well as dry potato curry, provides for a delightful and healthful breakfast.

Here, fresh white butter is being used, which imparts a particular flavor that is different from yellow butter. However, yellow butter can even be used to make such dosas. If butter is not an option for you, you can still enjoy its delicious mouth wrenching taste.

The davangere dosas are distinct from the traditional dosa. Both the flavour and the texture are different. These have a soft, airy texture while still being sharp.

The typical accompaniments to davangere benne dosa are potato palya and hot coconut chutney. We had already had mashed potatoes, so I wanted to add some seasoning to what we had. So, for the potato filling, I sautéed some onions and green chiles in oil.

The chutney that is offered is made with few ingredients and is extremely spicy. The tangy coconut chutney perfectly counterbalances the bland potato stuffing. Benne dosa is best achieved hot. Nevertheless, you can also carry these dosas inside a tiffin box because they stay soft even after chilling.