Kari Dosai FeaTURED

Konar Mess | (ORIGINAL) Konar Kadai Kari Dosai in Madurai (+ Photos)

The Kari Dosai from Konar Mess/Konar Kadai is a UNIQUE, TRADITIONAL and AUTHENTIC dish from the South Indian City of Madurai.

Kari Dosai is NOT a simple combination of wrapping cooked mutton inside a normal dosai! There is more to it.

Today, I will share my experience of this Spicy Kari dosai from Simmakkal (Madurai) and how it is made.

Plus, I will also share the experience of having Muttai Kothu Kari from Konar Kadai.

Let’s get started!


Konar Mess Kari Dosai 6


What is Konar Mess/Konar Kadai?

Konar Mess/Konar Kadai is an Authentic and Traditional Non-Veg restaurant based out of Madurai (Simmakkal), Tamil Nadu. It has expanded to many branches over the years due to its popularity.

Konar Mess/Konar Kadai is popular for its unique non-veg dish called Kari Dosai. Kari Dosai has its original origin from Konar Kadai, although there are other famous restaurants like Kumar Mess which also include this item in their menu.

Konar Mess


Apart from Kari Dosai, other popular dishes in Konar Kadai are

  • Mutton Chukka
  • Chicken Kari Dosai,
  • Kudal kulambu (goat intestine gravy),
  • Thala kari kulambu(goat brain gravy),
  • Liver Roast, etc and many more!


What does Konar refer to?

Konar is a term for community (of people) who were specialized in cattle cultivation and lived in forest area many centuries ago in Madurai. Many generations of passing on the traditional recipes resulted in the Konar Kadai that we see today.


Konar Kadai – Madurai Address

North Veli Street,
Simmakkal,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625001



Our Journey to the Konar Kadai in Simmakkal

My husband and I caught an auto to Simmakkal from Pudhumandapam (after shopping Cast Iron Cookwares) – an area close to Sri Meenakshiamman Temple East Tower.

Konar Kadai Route

Simmakkal is a busy place with commercial complexes all around. My husband was sharing his experience of participating in Sloka recitation competition held in “Sethupathi Higher Secondary School” in Simmakkal, during his school times in Kendriya Vidyalaya.

(Sethupathi school is were the great Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar worked as Tamil Teacher for sometime.)



It was a nice little journey where we could feel Madurai’s heartbeat. My husband was in nostalgia (because he had his schooling and college in Madurai).

Konar Kadai Route

The vibe of the city was very positive and alive. Madurai is rightly called the “Thoonganagaram” (a city that never sleeps)!



And in the distant I located the Konar Mess!

Konar Kadai Route 3
Konar Mess


We got down from the auto. Konar Mess can be found on the main road. Its timing is from 12.30 pm – 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm – 11.30 pm.

We got our seat on the ground floor.

Then we ordered the much-awaited Kari Dosai and Muttai Kothu Kari.


What is Kari Dosai?

Kari Dosai is something similar to stuffed dosai, where the dosa batter is spread on the hot tawa like uthappam (a thick dosa), 2 eggs (beaten) is poured over the dosa and then next comes the main ingredient – the Kari (mutton chukka/fry) which is spread over the dosa.

It is then flipped over and cooked until the Kari turns crispy and the dosa and egg are cooked well.

(Kari = Mutton Fry)

Konar Mess Kari Dosai


New to Indian Cooking?

If you are a beginner or someone who is not sure on how to get started in Indian Cooking, please click on the below links for STEP By STEP GUIDE.

1. Essential Indian Cooking Tools – A Complete Guide for setting up basic Indian Equipment for cooking.
2. Essential Indian Spices – A Comprehensive Guide explaining the basics of Indian Spices which are Important for cooking Indian Foods.
3. How to Cook Rice Perfectly – Learn to Cook Indian Rice using 2 methods – Pot and Pressure Cooker


Preparation of Kari Dosai at Konar Kadai:

Watch the below video from 1.05 – 2.08 mins on how the Kari Dosai is prepared at Konar Kadai, Simmakkal.



The Kari dosai was very thick, with all the layers of dosa, egg and mutton packed together.

Konar Kadai Kari Dosai

The mutton pieces on top were crispy and spicy.

Konar Kadai Kari Dosai 2

The kari dosai was served along with 2 salnas (gravies) – mutton and chicken.

Konar Kadai Kari Dosai Salna


This is where the taste lies – when you pour the non-veg gravy on top of the kari dosai, take a piece of it and place inside your mouth – you feel the REAL mutton texture and spices, which will make your tongue ask for more!

Konar Kadai Kari Dosai 3

The small pieces of crispy spicy mutton steal the show. When you taste them for the first time, you will not stop till the entire dosa is finished.

Konar Mess Kari Dosai Kari omelette 3


A single kari dosa was almost enough to fill my tummy.

The Madurai specialty, is the gravy or salna that elevates the food experience to the next level.

Konar Kadai Kari Dosai Salna 2


My husband and I finished the Kari dosai in no time! Our next target was the Muttai Kothu Kari.


What is Muttai Kothu Kari

Muttai Kothu Kari preparation – Egg and Mutton are cooked until perfection and are beaten or scrambled together along with some freshly ground spices.

(Muttai = Egg, Kothu Kari = Shredded Mutton)

Konar Mess Kari Dosai Kari Omelette


In any dish which has mutton, if you get the mutton cooked right, it will be an yummy experience. Muttai Kothu Kari was no exception. The scrambled mutton and egg combination was very tasty and spicy.

Kari Omelette


We took the Muttai Kothu Kari and dipped it in the non-veg salna, and ate it – which again elevated the experience. We devoured it like crazy!

Konar Mess Kari Dosai Kari omelette 2


Madurai’s restaurants are truly good at the “Mutton” (goat) based dishes. They get it RIGHT. ALL. THE. TIME!

Madurai is always Food Lovers delight – be it veg, non-veg, dessert etc, You name it!

There are a lot of options to try out in Madurai, for example:


Never miss the above-mentioned restaurants and food items. In the upcoming posts, I will share more of them!


Conclusion:

Madurai Konar Kadai will not disappoint you when it comes to the Kari Dosai. Go and have fun. I will soon be posting the Kari Dosai recipe for those who would like to cook at the comfort of their home!


If you like our experience of visiting restaurants and their beautiful PHOTOS, then you might also like the below:

Madurai Famous Jigarthanda

(Click on the above to enjoy the mouth-watering Madurai Jigarthanda!!!)


Madurai Kumar Mess – Mutton Kola Urundai

(Click on the above to enjoy the Lip-Smacking MUTTON KEEMA Balls !)


Murugan Idli Shop – Podi Idli

(Click on the above to enjoy the mouth-watering Podi Idli from Murugan idli Kadai!)


Traditional Iron/Cast Iron Cookwares

(Click on the above to explore the ancient and traditional cast iron cookwares from Madurai!!!)


Bangalore Donne Biryani Experience

(Click on the above to know about the BEST Biryani in Bangalore!)


Shri Sagar (CTR) Benne Dosa Mangalore Bajji

(Click on the above to explore the BEST Benne Dosa in Bangalore!)


Holige Mane Boli/Obbattu Varieties

(Click on the above to explore the different varieties of Obbattu in Bangalore!)


Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) – Bisi Bele Bath, Rava Idli

(Click on the above to explore the Bisi Bele Bath, Rava Idly in Bangalore!)


Death By Chocolate – Corner House Ice Cream

(Click on the above to dive into the Mouth Watering experience of the Dark Chocolate in Bangalore!)

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