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| Masala Thosai |
If you want good wholesome and delicious Indian vegetarian food in Singapore Ananda Bhavan is not only a household name it is the oldest Indian vegetarian restaurant in Singapore established in 1924. It’s first restaurant located along Selegie Road, at the rim of Little India, embodies the establishment’s historical background of over seven decades and serves people of all walks of life.
From its humble beginning at Selegie Road, Anandha Bhavan has now expanded and has six outlets four at the heart of Little India and one at Changi Airport, Terminal 2 and 1 at Changi Buisness Park. It has become a very popular eating haunt for Indians, Malays, Chinese and tourists .
It now serves a splendid selection of North Indian, South Indian, and Indian Chinese cuisines. Besides well-known for providing high quality authentic Indian food, Anandha Bhavan has also its customers’ wellness in mind: No MSG, No Preservatives, No Additives and No Re-use of Cooking Oil is used when preparing the food
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| Paper Thosai | Rava Thosai |
Although Ananda Bhavan has an variety of vegetarian cuisine , what is most popular is their incredibly wide selection of different types of Dosa from plain to Masala Dosa with different mouthwatering and fingerlicking fillings that make this place a haven for Dosas. Fingerlicking because you can be traditional and eat with your fingers and it is so flavourful and delightful you are bound to be licking your fingers when tucking in this sumptious meal .It is accompanied by terrific exotic coconut chutneys white and red spicy hot ones. And. there is Sambar to go with it too.
Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisines, adapted in each to its taste and environment. One of the myth is that it originated in the kitchen of Thanjavur Marathas ruler Shahuji during the 19th century from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shahji trying to make a dish called amti, experimented with pigeon peas instead of mung bean, and tamarind pulp for kokum and the court named it sambhar after the guest of the day, Sambhaji, second emperor of the Maratha Empire.
Other sources point to origin as Karnataka where "Sambaru padartha" in Kannada means mix of spices and condiments.There is also an alternate explanation that origin of the name is from the old Tamil word, "Chaampu" meaning ground or paste, in the context of grinding coconut and spices to be dissolved in tamarind pulp. Sambar is made either exclusively with one of these vegetables or a combination of them – okra, moringa (also known as drumstick), carrot, radish, pumpkin, daikon, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjal(eggplant) and whole or halved shallots or onions. Sambar powder is a coarse powder made of roasted lentils, dried whole red chilies, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves with regional variations including cumin, black pepper, grated coconut, cinnamon, or other spices. The vegetables, tamarind pulp, sambar powder, turmeric, salt, and asafoetida are boiled together, until the vegetables are half-cooked. After the vegetables are half cooked, the cooked lentils are added and allowed to cook until the vegetables are done. Sambar is garnished with fresh curry leaves or coriander leaves. Mustard seeds, black gram, and dried red chillies, and curry leaves tempered in vegetable oil is added to the cooked sambar.
HISTORY OF DOSA
Dosa is indigenous to South India; its exact birthplace in that region is a matter of conjecture. According to food historian K. T. Achaya, dosa (as dosai) was already in use in ancient Tamil country around the 1st century AD, as per references in the Sangam literature. According to P. Thankappan Nair, dosa originated in the Udupi town of present-day Karnataka.
In popular tradition, the origin of dosa is linked to Udupi, probably because of the dish's association with the Udupi restaurants. Also, the original Tamil dosa was softer and thicker. The thinner and crispier version of dosa, which became popular all over India, was first made in present-day Karnataka
Nutrition
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| Plain Thosai |
Dosa with chutney and sambar is traditionally served in banana leaf
Dosa, a common breakfast dish and street food, is high in carbohydrates, and contains no sugar or saturated fats. As its constituent ingredients are rice and urad dal (Vigna mungo), it is also a source of protein. The fermentation process increases the vitamin B and vitamin C content. There are also instant mix products for making dosa, with somewhat lower nutritional benefits. Dosa are considered a high glycemic index food and should be avoided by diabetics.
PREPARATION
A mixture of rice and urad dal (ulundu) that has been soaked in water is ground finely to form a batter. Some add hand full of fenugreek seeds soaked along with rice. The proportion of rice to lentils is generally 4:1 or 5:1. The batter is allowed to ferment overnight. After the overnight fermentation, batter is mixed with water to get the desired thickness. the batter is then ladled onto a hot tava (griddle) greased with oil or ghee (clarified butter). It is spread out evenly with the base of a ladle or bowl to form a pancake. A dosa is served hot, either folded in half or rolled like a wrap. It is also served usually with chutney and sambar
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| Rocket Thosai |
DOSA AT ANANDA BHAVAN
At Ananda Bhavan they have been so creative with their making of Dosas that they have in total a rage of 30 different types of Dosas and they are as follows:
- Plain Thosai
- Ghee Thosai
- Onion Thosai
- Cheese Thosai
- Rocket Thosai
- Paper Thosai
- Ghee Paper Thosai
- Masala Thosai
- Ghee Masala Thosai
- Paper Masala Thosai
- Mysore Masala
- Ghee Paper Masala
- Ghee Onion Masala
- Mushroom Masala
- Maharaja Masala
- Uthappam
- Ghee Uthappam
- Onion Uthappam
- Ghee Onion Uthappam
- Mint Masala Thosai
- Wheat Thosai
- Paneer Thosai
- Set Thosai
- Podi Thosai
- Pizza Thosai
- Plain Rava Thosai
- Onion Rava Thosai
- Rava Masala Thosai
- Rava Mysore Masala Thosai
- Onion Rava Masala Thosai
- Ghee Rava Thosai
- Ghee Rava Masala Thosai
- Ghee Onion Rava Masala
A new innovation is the Chettinad Dosa with masala made Chettinad style and mind you this is uniquely Ananda Bhavan ‘s own creation.It is so delicious and you can never find it in any part of the world including India. Ananda Bhavan without a reasonable doubt is the best Indian Vegetarian Restaurant for Dosas. First class and par excellence. Prices very affordable, the ambience is like a fast food joint but very clean and the food is also undoubtedly healthy. This is one place where vegetarian food surpasses the taste of meaty dishes and you can enjoy to your heart’s content .It is highly recommended and when you dine here we wish you bon appétit!
