Hicksville: Dosa decisions

When I’ve got a yen for dosas—the enormous, crunchy-tender, wheat-lentil crepes of South India—I usually head to House of Dosas on Broadway in Hicksville. Last night, I decided to try Dosa Diner, a little further north and, despite its name, a little more upscale in its decor.

I started with a tamarind eggplant appetizer, and it turned out to be slices of fried eggplant drizzled with sweet-sour tamarind sauce and tossed with puffed rice, puri and sev (snacky little morsels that look like American breakfast cereal) and slices of red onion. Delicious.

Next I was presented with the onion rava masala dosa pictured above. The dosa must have been at least 18 inches across before it was folded into a square. The outer edges were shatteringly crisp, the center was more pliable since it was filled with spiced potatoes. How to eat this thing? I had not been given a knife, and my fork seemed highly inadequate to the task. So I just used my hands, which worked perfectly. I glanced around; neither the waiter nor the other patrons gave me dirty looks so I carried on and, I might add, cleaned my plate.

This morning I e-mailed Indrani Sen, a former Newsday reporter who now writes (authoritatively and lyrically) about food. Had I humiliated myself? Sen responded that “I can tell you with great conviction that you did not embarrass yourself by eating a dosa with your hands. That is the only way I have ever seen people eat dosas in Madras.”

Phew!

Dosa Diner is at 128 Broadway, Hicksville, 516-681-5151.