The masala dosa at Woodlands

Dish of the Week: Masala dosa
Where: Woodlands

Most of the Indian food in D.C. tends to be northern Indian food that includes meat-heavy curries. But there are treasures to be found in the vegetarian food of the lesser-known south. One of the signatures of that region is the dosa, a paper-thin crepe that is made of rice flour and lentils. When prepared well, it has a crisp exterior with a slightly spongy, bready interior. My favorite dish involving dosa is the masala dosa, which comes with a crepe rolled in a horn and filled with a curry of potatoes and onions.

The dish is served at some of the vegetarian Indian restaurants in D.C., including Amma’s Indian Vegetarian Kitchen and Nirvana. But it’s worth a trip out to Maryland to go to Woodlands and try their delicious dosas. If you arrive at the right time, you’re also likely to see Indian families gathered together, dressed in bright saris. And it doesn’t hurt that the masala dosa at Woodlands comes with mango and coconut chutneys, and is bigger than Marion Barry’s rap sheet.