Mangalorean cuisine is one of the most distinctive on the Indian coast, built around coconut, tamarind, and a chile heat that's serious rather than decorative. The signature dishes — neer dosa (paper-thin rice crepes), kori rotti (dry chicken curry with crispy rice flatbread), and Mangalorean fish curry — are things you will not find easily outside this region. Bangude (mackerel) and sungta (prawns) are the workhorse seafood, cooked with the intense red Byadagi chile paste that gives local curries their colour. Udupi restaurants serve outstanding South Indian vegetarian food — the tiffin breakfasts of idli, vade, and sambar are excellent and very cheap.