My Dostana with the Dosa and Chutney.

When I was engaged in a daily dose of 'Googling', I came across the wiki page of Dosa/Dosai. I was not surprised to see 30 types of Dosais, but the clear omission of one special startling type of Dosa was surprising. The sole purpose of this post has a bit of an underlying hope, that wiki will include the Dosa which I experienced in 2008. The title is just for the sake of it. Or maybe its me trying to create an alliteration of sorts. Dosa is not any Danny and hence 'dostana' does not have any pun intended by any stretch of human's perverted imagination. So set aside your S.J.Suryah cloak and try to read further if you feel like doing so. I assure you this has nothing outrageous or sacrilegious. Now coming back to the other D word in the heading. Dosa. This post will give an account of not any dosa, but the one that has the stamp of my college. I bet my United States application visa, you possibly wouldn't have tasted something like this, yet it falls in the category of Dosa.
Dosa is made of rice flour and lentils and I have my doubts even in the basic stage of preparation. It is a staple food of the Vindhyas and below. I have to agree to the T because this Dosa staples the upper palate and the base of the mouth and it is quite a task to swallow and speak within five seconds.
Strange enough or coincidental, that special dosa, (lets call it The Dosa) is served in my college only on Wednesday. Some research done on Wednesday will make one understand that it is called 'Humping day'. (Seriously, I have nothing to do with the seemingly repeated puns) I wonder if that has some relation with how The Dosa pans out in our plates when served. This Dosa, has nothing crispy about it. In fact, it is the best surrogate for the sugarcanes and hard nuts used in the Vicco toothpaste advertisements. The time of grinding done and the subsequent swallow to the food pipe depends on three factors.
1. How desperate one wants to have this piece of unique dish, irrespective of unfinished record works or paying that one final visit to your friend etc.
2. The manner in which you swallow it- taking small pieces, or minute pieces. Don't even think about large portions.
3. How well you utilize that chutney given along with the dosa. It's directly proportional in this case.
A word about that chutney- this again is a special chutney one won't be able to endure outside Jeppiar Nagar (area where my college is situated). The exact components and ingredients of the chutney is yet to be deciphered by the students. In hindsight, taking this up as a research project/final year project is not a bad idea at all. You are subjected to full funding from the college and even a potential best project award. This should help students reap high benefits- at least earning 'foodie respect' among your comrades. From the development and maturity of my taste buds, where south indian foods played a paramount role in shaping them up, I can say it has an abundant dose of some nuts obtained from the ground (ground nuts per se ), some ABC masala and of course coconut. This should serve as a good test for Mallika Badrinath and Sanjeev Kapoor.
The size of the dosa will excite the nerds who have a zing for geometry. It is circular, but when served on your plates, it hardly seems circular. You ask for one dosa, will invariably result in having 0.5 or 1.5 dosas on your platter. The thickness will remind me the heels of a girl's footwear- pretty comparable actually. White/ Pinkish white is the color of the dosa and chutney respectively. At times, this parameter is used to bring out the difference between the dosa and chutney. Most or at least my plate is filled more with that drugged chutney than the dosa. The days I have been late to college, will result in me forced to have a dosa whose appearance is similar to the hairstyle of the old Sehwag- imagine his entire scalp as the dosa and the black specs of strewn hair corresponds to the over cooked parts of the dosa- perfect example of leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
All said, it is this Master-chef material that has motivated and urged many students to attend college on Wednesdays without fail. Its never the lab sessions, believe me! There is an exclusive bunch, who munch more than 2 dosas with consummate ease. I hold them in very high regards as it requires proper use of the well maintained teeth and will power. On a personal note, this breakfast material has made me not to wander my thoughts about when the clock will strike a dozen. Thank you dear dosa. Yo have made me a tougher guy. You have made me realized the importance and necessity of water while eating. It would be totally rude if I do not christen you. Henceforth, you shall be called the St.Jos'Dosa. (Copyrights reserved).