I thought I knew my South Indian snacks. But the gift of any great cuisine is the fact that there is always more to learn. At Amma Vegetarian Kitchen in Vienna, I ordered a pair of vada, savory doughnuts served with coconut chutney and sambar, a vegetable soup that’s sweet and sour with tamarind. I was confident that they would easily be worth $4.99 to me, and they were. Crisp and aromatic, they were especially pleasant when scooping up a bit of okra from the sambar.
There were less familiar options on the menu posted above the counter, too. When I ordered the rava paneer dosa, I wasn’t quite prepared for the loveliness in store. All the dosas I’d ever tasted were thin, solid pancakes, rolled around their fillings, a brittle Indian crêpe.
But the rava dosa is a different animal. Due to the use of semolina flour, it’s even more crisp and less roll-able than a typical dosa. At Amma, the fermented batter is as lacy as your grandma’s favorite tablecloth. The delicate layers are freckled with green chiles (hot enough in places to create a minor medical emergency for my spice-averse dining partner) and cumin seeds. In the center, a mound of chopped paneer is yellow with turmeric and dotted with green peas. The dosa, too, is served with a bowl of sambar and a smaller cup of the sweet coconut chutney, both of which are a boon to each tangy, crisp bite.
The only danger of eating at Amma is its low prices. It’s difficult not to order too much when dessert is less than $3. In the case of the rasmalai, it’s a cooling end to a pleasantly spice-filled meal. And after a taste of something new, it’s nice to have a familiar bite of the milky, ultra-sweet cheese dumplings. 344 Maple Ave. E., Vienna
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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