Dosa Lover

What's about this Dosa that makes me eat this wonderfully delicious crispy rice pancake, every morning without a dot of boredom ? OMG, I just love this Dosa.

Being a Tamilian, we were brought up with Idlis and Dosas, in our childhood years. WOW, it is such a amazing tasty combo of Idlis / Dosas with the awesome sambhar, especially made by mom. How much I miss my mother's sambhar made with those tiny onions (shellogs) !!!!!!

Actually there are so many varieties of Dosas we make at home and along with the tasty accompaniments like sambhar, chutneys, milagai podi*, it is sure to be a melody of tastes. Just writing about them is tempting me eat dosas again - You know, I had them for today's breakfast too.

The regular dosa can be made into so many varieties, just by changing the topping on them, like a pizza. We have the podi dosa, tomato chutney dosa, pudina chutney (mint) dosa, grated cheese dosa, onion chutney dosa... to name a few. Some people also do an egg dosa, which is sooo tasty.

When I was younger by age, I used to relish the Rava Dosa, which were my mother's speciality. And it goes very well with an awesome coconut chutney done with very hot green chillies. Those times we used to live as a joint family with my uncle and grand parents. So, we counted a little over a dozen - that's the whole family's size. For the taste of my mother's rava dosa, each one of us will surely gobble about 4 or 5 of it. So, my mother will plonk herself onto the kitchen top, sit there and nicely make the rava dosas so crisp and tasty for the hungry dozen. This rava dosa is a delicate dish, which has to be made with such care and it is a time consuming one. That is the reason that my mother chose to sit on the kitchen top, to do this tasty job.

Another favourite of mine and my daughters is the Masala Dosa, which has the potato masala in the center of the dosa. I love the way we have to roll the dosa around the masala, so that it looks like a tube filled with delicious aloo. Sometimes, it is also done in the triangular shape. Whatever shape it is, this dosa is one of the best with the sambhar and chutney.

And then there is this Methi Dosa, which is such a coolant for the stomach. Small children, breast-feeding mothers and the grandparents will all benefit from this absolutely soft, tasty and easy-to-make dosa. When we soak the rice and dhal for the dosa, the methi seeds (fenugreek seeds) are also soaked in warm water and ground with the rice and dhal to make the batter. This dosa is best done when it is fat and thick, instead of the regular crispy ones. It'll look like a sponge with lot of holes in it which is because of the fenugreek seeds added to it. Now, when the dosa is hot, just spread some ghee on it and while it is melting, sprinkle some sugar. You will be engulfed in the wonderful mixture of tastes, which I am sure about.

We also have the Dhal Dosa (adai, in Tamil), which is a delicious blend of rice and all the dhals (toor, chenna, urid ) in proportions. Such an amazing invention by our ancestors that I thank all those who were involved in this wonderful creation. The dish that'll go well with this is called the aviyal (which is a blend of vegetables cooked in coconut and green chilli paste and mixed with curd finally).

There's a saying that says that the people belonging to the banks of the River Cauveri, are those people with a impeccable taste and value for word. The human tongue performs the dual role of taste and talk. These people who have been brought up by drinking this Cauveri water are sure to keep up their words and are great foodies too. I am very proud of this fact, as I belong to one of the towns on the banks of the River Cauveri, in Tamil Nadu. I love food, particularly Dosas and I value the word very much.

Three cheers to the variety of Dosas and to all those people who make their families happy by making this wonderful Dosa.

* Milagai Podi - Roasted red chillies and dhals ground to a coarse powder. Should be mixed with ghee or til (sesame) oil for better taste.