Proddatur draws it's name and fame through an act of Lord Sri Rama who installed a saikata linga (linga made of sand) to mitigate the Brahma hatya dosham from killing of Ravana. While this mythological connect remained with the town, it is famous for Gold trade. It is considered as Second Mumbai due to the volume of gold business. For over a century, gold trade is predominantly in the hands of a large entrepreneurial Vysya population living here. While the very affluent and well to do vysyas are into gold trade, women in not so rich families supplementing their family income by making leaf plates using leaves of bastard teak (flame-of-the-forest tree or Butea monosperma) These leaf plates were commonly used those days in Rayalaseema region. The leaves have astringent, depurate, diuretic and aphrodisiac properties, stimulate and promote diuresis. Make shift eateries on the pials (scaffold or raised platform) on either side of the main entrance of their homes making dosas was a common sight serving as additional source of income. Leaf plate making & Dosa business were entrepreneurial ventures of these Vysya women in their spare time. I recollect a story about one of my classmates who used to visit a particular dosa making place regularly. We believed that he liked the special flavour of dosa made there. We were all wrong and the actual reason was that he was liking the daughter of the lady making dosas. Even the girl had a liking for this fellow. While she was serving the dosa plate, she surreptitiously slip a rupee coin in the dosa fold. In fact those days a dosa used to cost only 75 paise. He thus used to pocket 25 paise after paying for the dosa out of the One Rupee coin in the dosa fold. Their romance continued for quite sometime.
There are no big fancy restaurants in Proddatur. Crowded roadside stalls are a common place. One of the busiest streets in Proddutur is 'Ammavarishala Veedhi'. There is a small shop called 'Subrahmanyam Dosa Corner' in that busy street. The entire street is famous for its delicious dosa joints. Various kinds of dosas with different price tags are available. You will be shocked to know the price range for dosas which varies between Rs.50-500 depending on your choice.
Regular customers at Subrahmanyam Dosa Corner say that speciality of the dosa is in its specially made batter. It is said that nowhere else can you find such crispy and tasty dosas. The iron pan (skillet) used to make dosa is of specific thickness although very traditional in its looks. Usually Karam Dosa (a spicy variety) is made with a spread of red chilly chutney on its inside. But this chef uses green chutney along with red chutney. To balance the spicy taste, adds a lot of ghee while roasting that dosa!! Finally adds freshly chopped onions and tomatoes. After all that, a masala powder (with a proprietary formula) is added and the dosa is finally made. No one knows what the formula of the masala powder is - except the chef. That is his trade secret.
The Rs.500 dosa is filled with dry fruits and nuts. Who would eat such a costly dosa, you may wonder! People come from far and wide for that special dosa. In the 80s, the price of this dosa was around ₹60. That was more than the cost of Biryani at that time! No matter how much our crave for biryani is, dosa always has a special place in a Proddaturian palette. Visit to Proddatur is incomplete without tasting the dosa.
"special flavour of dosa made there.." ðŸ¤
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