Amma’s South Indian Kitchen

The towering dosa — that tawny cone of parchment-thin crepe drizzled with ghee sailing through the dining room to virtually every table — is a tribute to Mama, for whom Sathish Varadhan and Balakrishnan Duraisamy’s restaurant is also named: Amma is the Tamil word for “mother.” That dedication to the flavors of home has driven the pair to expand across the Philly area, with four locations and more to come. Beyond the myriad dosas (try the onion rava), there are medhu vadai fritters fragrant with curry leaves, chile-spiced chukka gravy simmered with goat, fluffy idlis with sambar, and Southern-style tandoori chicken bright with ginger. My current obsession is a Tamil comfort, kothu parotta — shreds of flaky flatbread tossed with vegetables, meats, and gravy cooked like biryani, but with bread instead of rice. Add a frothy cup of strong Madras coffee, and you’ll leave buzzing with both caffeine and spice.