The better batter
Disclaimer: This is not about cricket !
When I was in my teens, my Amma used to go for work and would take a pooled shuttle to her workplace. She made friends on the bus and one of them was older than Amma and just mentioned one day that she was looking to give away an old idly/dosa grinder. Amma jumped at the opportunity to get a good quality, second-hand grinder that could make her life easier. When I was young, I was surprised to see a grown up being excited about a kitchen gadget. I went with her to collect that huge and heavy set. The grinding stone was itself like one of those weights used by wrestlers to work out. I do not remember how we managed to bring it home, but it was love at first sight for Amma.
From that day on, every weekend, she would soak the rice and dal and grind and grind and grind. It was hands free, so she could just let it do it's thing. Post grinding, she would have to remove all the batter by hand and then use a sponge to clean it post a load of water to clean it out. the grinding stone had it's own stand on the side where it would chill until next use. Amma made the best dosas - crisp, brown and beautiful. I don't think anyone can make dosas like her. I am not much of a dosa girl myself, but i love Idly. I would have idli one day, idli upma with leftover idli ,crisp idli doused in molaga podi(gun powder), idli manchurian(imagine gobi manchurian with idli instead of cauliflower). The only side dish that made me chomp down 5-6 dosas was molaga peri - a yummy, sweet, tangy and spicy liquid that perfectly complements her crispy dosa.
Over the last decade or so, I have only gotten readymade batter for home. Recently I came across this cute table top grinder which was not too expensive and I went ahead and bought it. It was again, love at first sight. The fluff of the urad dal batter makes me smile every time. It feels like a cloud and soooo soft and smoooooth. Now this has become my weekend ritual. One that I perform voluntarily and I enjoy every step of the way. It is almost like a detox activity. Yes, now I am at the age Amma was when she got her grinder and I completely understand her every emotion and excitement. My batter comes out good, but never like Amma's, but the act of making the batter, I think I have it way easier than her. I am sure she would have loved this grinder. I got to get back to my batter now. Yes, I am writing this post while grinding my batter on a Sunday morning at 9am. Ah, the luxury of a lazy Sunday morning. Kiddo gets idli for school tomorrow and Appa gets the batter for the week. So until next time, Happy Reading!
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