Rip and Dip: The Art of the Masala Dosa at Saffron Street
“Rip and dip” — that’s how you attack a masala dosa the size of a dinner plate, according to the team at Saffron Street in Calgary’s First Street Market. And when Guy Fieri took his first bite, his verdict was immediate: “That’s in the top five best Indian dishes I’ve ever had.”
This Southern Indian street food joint sits inside a bustling food hall, run by two friends with deep roots in Calgary’s Indian food scene. Rahul Kenoia’s parents have operated a Northern Indian restaurant in the city for over 30 years, but when he saw Jesse Man making South Indian street food, something clicked. “I thought I need to learn how to make this food,” Rahul explained. The opportunity at First Street Market gave them the chance to bring those bold, authentic flavors to a whole new audience.
The 24-Hour Journey of a Dosa
What makes Saffron Street’s dosa special starts with a process most restaurants wouldn’t attempt. They soak Sona masuri rice for hours, then grind it along with white-washed black lentils and fenugreek seeds in a wet stone grinder imported from India — the kind that’s common in Indian homes but rare in North American kitchens. The grinding alone takes 15 to 20 minutes per batch.
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After mixing the rice and lentil batters together, they ferment it for 12 hours. The next morning, they add salt and refrigerate it for a few more hours before it’s ready to hit the griddle. It’s a commitment similar to the care you see in dishes like CHEESEBURGER Fried RICE, where patience in preparation makes all the difference.
Building Flavor in Every Component
The dosa itself is just the beginning. Saffron Street makes everything from scratch:
The Coconut Chutney: Desiccated coconut, super spicy green chilies, cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, roasted chana dal, and a tempering of hot oil with mustard seeds, urad dal, red chili, and curry leaves — all blended and mixed together.
The Sambar: A curry for dipping, built with mustard seeds, green chilies, hand-crushed coriander seeds, red chili, curry leaves, onions, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, tomatoes, and cooked yellow lentils. It simmers for 15 minutes to marry the flavors.
The Masala Filling: Potatoes mashed with a “very special masher” that the whole food hall borrows from them, mixed with mustard seeds, green and red chilies, plenty of curry leaves, onions, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, and fresh cilantro.
Guy described the experience perfectly: “There are very few things in this world that have that much flavor, that much texture.” He broke down each element — the coconut chutney being tangy and subtle, the sambar slightly sweet, the tomato chutney like a salsa, and the potato providing meatiness and body. The dosa itself impressed him with its light, fluffy texture and crispy edges.
The Chicken Kati Roll: An Indian Burrito
Guy also tried the chicken kati roll — Jesse’s personal go-to. The chicken marinates in red chili powder, turmeric, coriander, soy sauce, ginger garlic paste, and dried fenugreek leaves. It’s wrapped in a hand-made flatbread (flour, baking powder, baking soda, oil, milk, and water, punched and rested for two hours) along with cabbage, carrots, green peppers, a house-made tamarind chutney with date and jaggery, yogurt, and chat masala.
Guy called it “like an Indian burrito with like nine salsas,” praising the balance of sour, heat, sweet, and tangy, with a flaky wrap reminiscent of a croissant. Much like the layered complexity you find in a Balkan-Style Stuffed Pizza, every bite delivers something different.
“You really love being a chef,” Guy told Jesse. “I think you’re the kind of guy that cooks dreams come true.”
Find Saffron Street and other Triple D stops in our restaurant directory.