It was a gloomy, rainy morning in August. A young couple, cooped up in their tiny kitchen, watched expectantly. It was a moment of tense expectation as the…..
dosa gently slid off the non-stick tava.
They had been salivating for dosas since months now. Both of them were tired of cold breakfast cereal. Their persistence and diligence finally paid off and they joined the legions of Uncles/Aunties, Mama/Mamis etc. who regularly cook idlis/dosas for breakfast. Now all that remains to be conquered is… the task of making rotis on an electric stove. Phew!
On a slightly sore note, the dosas didn’t taste that great…:-( Guess the batter needs to be more fermented. But they looked so good…..
Kindly take no offence about the ‘Uncle-Aunty’ or ‘Mama-Mami’ bit. The above applies to all non-avuncular folks too! I didn’t intend to do any *stereotyping* here; hats off to anyone with that kind of industriousness!
lalunadiosa says:
WOW!!!!
*bowing down in utter and complete reverence*
I guess I should come visit you soon 🙂
Did you make the batter from scratch???
August 12, 2004 — 7:54 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: WOW!!!!
Yes.. soaked it for some 24 hours and then ground it. The ready mix thingy wasn’t so good.
August 12, 2004 — 8:23 am
nithya says:
Re: WOW!!!!
i guess thats where things went wrong..
you just supposed to soak them ovrenight max..
August 14, 2004 — 3:50 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: WOW!!!!
Yeah, so I learnt from Mummy today! Thanks..:-)
August 15, 2004 — 2:21 pm
parag says:
That looks good, L! I know where I’ll be heading for a quick dosa fix on my next trip to Atlanta. 🙂 I hope you are an expert with chutney and sambar too.
Also, thanks for taking out the date stamp. It is one of those things that make me cringe. A nice photo ruined by a date stamp.
August 12, 2004 — 7:54 am
Lakshmi says:
Tried to make chutney but it flopped b’coz the mixer wasn’t effective when it came to grinding coconut. But I haven’t lost hope yet….:-) Sambar, that I can manage!
August 12, 2004 — 8:24 am
99kanitas says:
have you tried the grated coconut packs (frozen foods section)?
August 12, 2004 — 9:29 pm
Lakshmi says:
That’s what I used, Anu… My mixer wasn’t the right one.
August 13, 2004 — 5:33 am
99kanitas says:
achha, ok. had the same problem with osterizer, takes forever because it only grinds small portions efficiently. have heard that sumeet makes 120V mixers, but not seen one anywhere.
August 13, 2004 — 6:23 am
Lakshmi says:
Sumeet is good; my Mom vouches for it too…
August 13, 2004 — 12:56 pm
tomlinsonian says:
Hear, Hear!!
Also, thanks for taking out the date stamp. It is one of those things that make me cringe. A nice photo ruined by a date stamp.
August 12, 2004 — 9:57 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Hear, Hear!!
?
You concur, I guess…:-)
August 12, 2004 — 10:39 am
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Hear, Hear!!
Koochi maaam!!!
If you watch Sienfeld,that would mean yes!!
(i would have made that comment myself )
August 12, 2004 — 10:47 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Hear, Hear!!
‘Koochi’?
Ok, now you know, I don’t watch Seinfeld.. not very regularly, that is…
August 12, 2004 — 11:03 am
tomlinsonian says:
Congrats!!
a word of advice from a similarly placed fellow dosa-craver-except for the couple part..
Rava dosa is incredibly easy, needs no dough, and comes out just as good…actually, i am partial to RD,so comes out even better 😉
August 12, 2004 — 10:00 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Congrats!!
Oh, I am not too familiar with RD myself; my Mom didn’t make it… I am yet to develop a taste for it.
August 12, 2004 — 10:40 am
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Congrats!!
aw-righty!!
(BTW, my roomie is from chennai, i am from bangalore, and we make our dosa dough differently)
he makes dough that can be used as idli dough first two days, and then dosa.. i add avil(poha/beaten rice) and channadal…my mom says it improves flavour and the channadal makes it golden..
August 12, 2004 — 10:52 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Congrats!!
And I am from Kerala (well, I am a Bombayite and my Mom-Dad are originally Keralites).. But sometimes my Mom follows the same method as your Chennai pal… The chana dal idea sounds good; pass me the recipe? As long as it isn’t laborious!
August 12, 2004 — 11:01 am
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Congrats!!
nothing much to it…when you are soaking all the stuff, just add a little poha(if you like your dosas soft and fluffy) or/and channa-dal(for the golden colour – from your photo,you definitely should do this)..as for getting the dosas crisp/soft, i think its an issue of the batter consistency and how you cook it..if you like it fluffy, lay it on thick, high flame….else, spread it out, very low flame.
some tips: if the dosa is sticking, rub half an onion on the tava before you batter-fy it…also, sprinkling water on the tava makes the temperature come down, and also creates steam that makes the dosa fluffy..
Happy dosa to you!!
PS.and koochie maama is Kramer’s war cry!!;)
PPS. If you give me your address,i will send you the bill for professional dosa services rendered 😉
August 12, 2004 — 11:25 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Congrats!!
Thanks for all that; I knew most of it since I used to making dosas at home (B’bay)… thanx anyway.
Haven’t seen any golden coloured dosas yet, so I don’t really know what you’re talking about…:-)
August 12, 2004 — 11:57 am
rileen says:
Nice pic – hope good taste follows soon 🙂
August 12, 2004 — 10:28 am
Lakshmi says:
Not as good as I’d have liked, Rileen..:-) Still, something is better than nothing…
August 12, 2004 — 10:40 am
rileen says:
Oh, far better.
August 12, 2004 — 10:41 am
arunshanbhag says:
Congrats L! and it is perfectly round! :))
M says, add a fist full of cooked rice while blending to help ferment (and crispy edges).
No sambar and Chutney? Get Maggie’s Hot Chilli Sauce – rocks!
or garlic chutney from friendly marathi neighbour or friend.
Agree with manu above – Rava Dosas are my favorite; Didn’t you try them in mumbai?
August 12, 2004 — 11:00 am
Lakshmi says:
Tried them at a couple of restaurants once the idea of eating dosas out of home felt more reasonable…:-)My Mom would have near-lambasted me had I taken to eating dosas at restaurants!
Rava dosas are.. okay.
August 12, 2004 — 11:02 am
arunshanbhag says:
Lucky you! Looks like mom fed you well and took care of you 🙂
my mom too! Am dying to eat her “rice atta bhakri.” Its more like a uttappa, but with rice flour and lots of coconut, chilli, etc. And it is crispy!
August 12, 2004 — 11:07 am
Lakshmi says:
She sure did…:-)
Rice atta bhakri sounds good; I am sure there exists a similar Keralite dish too; by another name, maybe!
August 12, 2004 — 11:09 am
tomlinsonian says:
Akki rotti!!
hey , do you understand some kannada????no??
August 12, 2004 — 11:26 am
arunshanbhag says:
Re: Akki rotti!!
me? yes, enough to get by. Studied engg at Manipal and spent all summers in Bhatkal, Honavar, Kumta etc.
Didn’t hear of akki roti 🙁 but sounds similar. Heavy dough and spread with the fingers?
August 12, 2004 — 11:30 am
tomlinsonian says:
Re: Akki rotti!!
Thats one variety…there’s the other kind that needs to be patted into place, with onions and coconut..am sure thats the one you are talking about..
there is a variety that has baby dill in it..u should try it
August 12, 2004 — 11:38 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Some rotti it sure was!!
Is that it? Don’t recall the name…
August 12, 2004 — 11:58 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Some rotti it sure was!!
Ohhh.. I haven’t eaten this fundoo thing…:-(
August 12, 2004 — 12:10 pm
arunshanbhag says:
Re: Some rotti it sure was!!
Bingo! thats it.
They even tasted great as left-overs 🙂
🙂
(We can compile our own LJ Cookbook)
August 12, 2004 — 12:32 pm
sat_chit_anand says:
Anybody knows the origins of dosa ? Tried to search on the web but couldnt find it. Funny how something which you have been eating and relishing through years completely stumps you when you ask the question – ‘But where did this come from ? ‘. If ‘Patriotism is the memory of foods eaten in childhood’, what is the origin of those foods which evokes patriotism ?… Now that is my Thought for Today.
August 13, 2004 — 8:22 am