Paper Dosa is one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Fe. Why you may ask? Because it is consistently good. I had never had Southern Indian Cuisine until I ate at Paper Dosa. Heck, I had no idea what a dosa was. To me, a dosa is like an oversize crepe.
Paper Dosa is also the first place that I had tasted vino verde wine. Believe me that our wine sommelier, Adriana, at The Lisbon Winery was impressed of our knowledge of vino verde, a delicious Portuguese white wine. We also had our first paleta for dessert at Paper Dosa. We became frequent customers of Paleteria Oasis on Airport Road because of Paper Dosa.
Many years ago, Paper Dosa participated in the Food Depot’s annual fundraiser, The Souper Bowl. This is where we first tasted rasam (fire) broth. Their rasam won an award for best vegetarian soup. They deserved that award. So on a cold night in November, we picked up our take-out order from Paper Dosa.
Below is a photo of the new pick-up window at Paper Dosa. Well, at least new to us.
I really enjoy ordering on-line at Paper Dosa. The online menu is easy to navigate and is much, much easier to do than to get a seat in the restaurant. We are still trying to be cautious so online ordering and payment work for us. As you can see below, our boxes of food were labeled. So was the time that we were advised to pick up our food. You can also get a text or an email to let you know that your order is ready. Yes! Sometimes I really love technology especially when it pertains to food and saving me time.
Since it was once again cold in Santa Fe, we decided to order the rasam (fire) broth. Rasam(5) is made with”blended lentils, cilantro, tomatoes, and lots of spices.” You can ask for the gluten-free or vegan version. I just ordered the regular version. I was hungry and cold. I really don’t think that I’m ready for winter this year. So I knew that this broth would be like a comfort food for me. No, it is not like any comfort food I had while I was growing up, but it is comfort food for me just the same.
Since I usually order the fall vegetable curry(18) which is incredible, I decided to switch it up a little bit and order the mushroom medley uttapam(16). There are several different kinds of mushrooms that comprise this uttapam, “sauteed bunapi, king trumpet, king oyster, bunashimeji, maitake mushrooms, and red onions.” I have no idea which mushroom is which but I really enjoy this uttapam. It is absolutely delicious. Once again, you could order this dish with no onions or select a vegan version. You should also know that this particular item takes 30 minutes to prepare. It is that intense but well worth the wait. The side sauces are worth the wait as well. There was a tomato based sauce and I think a cilantro based sauce. Yum!
We also ordered the above mentioned fall vegetable curry. It is perfect for a cold winter/autumn night. This fabulous dish consists of”cauliflower, butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, green beans and peas in a coconut-tomato curry. You can request a gluten-free version or a vegan version of this curry. We chose the coconut rice to accompany this hearty but light meal.
The classic masala dosa (13) was our next choice of an entree. It contains “a dosa filled with masala ( potatoes blended with turmeric, caramelized onions, whole red chiles, mustard seeds and cashews. Wow! It was so much better than a potato pancake. It was light and airy. I loved all the spices. I’m really glad we ordered it.
The side vegetables that accompany our order were fabulous. It was just what I needed on a cold night. The spices are really delicious and make all the dishes pop. For those of you that think that this type of food is hot no it isn’t. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I visited Paper Dosa to find out that the dishes are not that spicy. Ok, except for the rasam broth. But all the dishes are spiced to perfection. That’s what really makes this food for me, it’s the spices.
Paper Dosa is located at 551 West Cordova Rd. Their phone number is 505.930.5521
Hours of operation are: Tuesday-Sunday 5pm-9pm Monday-CLOSED Paper Dosa has an incredibly easy online ordering site
You can order online for take-out or enjoy indoor seating. They welcome walk-ins or will take a reservation for 6 or more people. The outside patio is closed for the winter but is scheduled to reopen in March.
Paper Dosa will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day just so you know
Santa Fe City Different Foodie 