kannyakumari

the southernmost tip of india ... where the indian ocean, the arabian sea, and the bay of bengal meet ... sunrise and sunset over the same waters, sacred to the virgin goddess, and an auspicious place for indian pilgrims.  its funny; even though india is always very religious, its not always very spiritual.  for me, some temples are merely gorgeous or interesting, while others have a deep sense of presence.  this was one of the latter:  in the womblike center of the goddess-temple, drenched in sweat, in the center of a wet throng of pilgrims -- men shirtless, to honor the goddess, curly chest hair straightened with moisture -- surrounded by candles in vulvar holders ... just a little tap between the eyes, to say hello.

an excellent development

i can make dosa!  

like, real dosa.  real dosa that you want to eat lots of.  special thanks to rani for excellent teaching, and to mars, hersh and thomas for enduring earlier, less-delicious, less-authentic versions.  

and i can make them under less-than-ideal conditions.  peep my kitchen:  

and so now you can too!

dosa and idli

1.5 C idli rice (short-grain, medium-fat)

3/4 C urad dal (split and hulled)

approx. 1/2 tsp salt

for batter (can use for idli or dosa):

1. separately, rinse rice 2x and rinse dal 2x. 
2. soak rice and dal separately for at least 4 hours.
3. drain off water.  rinse one more time and check for stones.
4. grind dal (with some water) until smooth.  remove from blender.
5. grind rice (with less water) until smooth.  if you’re only making a small batch of batter, add the dal to the rice, and blend together.   add salt and continue blending.   add water as needed.  when finished grinding, batter should be smooth, about the consistency of pancake batter, and you should feel only a very little graininess rubbing batter between your fingers. 
6. pour batter into nonreactive (e.g. plastic) container and cover.  allow to ferment unrefrigerated.  fermenting time will vary depending on climate but overnight is definitely sufficient, usually 12 hours or fewer.   alternatively, refrigerate at once and then ferment; the batter will keep for about three days.
7. once batter has fermented, refrigerate until you want to use it.  it will keep, fermented, for a while, but probably not longer than three days.  DO NOT STIR until just before you use the batter – otherwise the fermentation bubbles will burst and your dosa will be more flat.

for dosa:

1. batter should be pretty thin consistency – thinner than before fermentation.  you will need to add some water.  [note: if you want to make some dosa now, and some later, do not add water to the entire batch – just to the portion that you’re using immediately.]
2. heat a non-stick or cast-iron pan very hot.  (non-stick is easier to use, but cast-iron will give you crispier dosa.)
3. stir batter well.  this is because the rice and dal are different densities and will separate, so unless you stir, the ratio of batters in your dosa will be off.
4. slowly ladle one ladle-full batter into the pan.  start in the center and work your way outwards in concentric circles, trying to keep the batter smooth and even.
5. you can put a little butter or oil on the pan (this will help make it browner), but if it is a non-stick pan, this will make the dosa HARDER to spread.
6. if you want crisp dosa, do not cover the pan.  
7. you can also put some oil or butter or ghee on top of the dosa while it cooks.  and/or spread some masala on the dosa.  this will make it tastier!!
8. cook dosa until the sides start to curl up a little bit, or when you can see the bottom turn brown.  no need to flip.  do not overcook – this does not make the dosa browner or crispier, but only dries it out. 

optional variations -- 

1. mix approx. 1/3 C wheat flour, 1/3 C rice flour, a few Tb sugar, a pinch of sodium bicarbonate, and water in a separate bowl.  add to dosa batter for browner, crispier, fluffier dosa.  [note:  the amounts listed are appropriate to add to approximately 3 C dal/rice batter.]
2. add handful of bengal gram dal and some fenugreek/methi seeds to dal before soaking.  this also adds flavor and color to dosa – super yum.   

for idli:

1. batter should be thicker than dosa batter.
2. stir batter and spoon onto oiled small idli pans.  do not let batter drop a very long distance from the spoon to the pan, or else the fermentation bubbles will burst and your idli can crack.
3. steam for maximum 5 minutes.
4. let cool slightly, then use knife to remove from pan.

optional variations:

1. can add some risen yeast in water or a pinch of sodium bicarbonate in water for fluffiness. 
2. if you want sweet idli, you can add some sugar.  mysore is famous for its lightly-scented jasmine idli. 

all dolled up for an indian wedding

rani invited us to an indian wedding in mysore, and dressed me up like a doll in her stunning sari -- underblouse, bangles, bindi, gold chains, the whole works.  left to right:  me, rani, daphne.  i'm pinned up like voodoo doll, but at least nothing fell off an an inopportune time ... o, and another benefit of the one-size-fits-all sari?  perfect for the indian wedding buffet. 

halebid jazz

smooth grooves at the temple.  check out especially the drummer's fingers -- the side you can't see is the deep house, and the little wooden thimble-things are fast percussion.  and you can tell they're feelin' it.

indian art car

can we make one of these?  please?  can we can we can we??

i was tempted to hop on and dance.  wouldn't you be?  i mean, look at those moves.   rrawr.

moustaches love dosa

and dosa love moustaches.

coorg

the number of different sounds on the bus from virajpet to kabbinekad is overwhelming if you stop to pay attention: rattle of window on frame, of rosary beads on window, click-clack of destination sign in its holster, crunch of wheels over rocks, ping! of rocks into metal sides, shussh-shussh of flowers rubbing flowers, rubbing windshield, occasional screech of baby, murmuring kannada conversations.  the whole structure of the bus groans and trembles as we careen around hairpin turns, chug up hills and hurtle down them.  i'm wedged up front, between the hot mound of engine, tom, my bag, and someone else's bag, with gorgeous front-window views of outside and of the driver, yanking the wheel around and sounding his horn pretty constantly: he's quite skilled.  the bus could be going anywhere, really -- they're all like this, more or less -- but we're in coorg, a mountainous part of karnataka with coffee and cardamom and skeins of peppercorns hanging down like green pearls from tree-climbing vines, where the locals are allowed to own (and, presumably, carry) guns out of a sort of national respect for the constant trouble they gave the brits.  more specifically, once we get off this bus and after a half-hour jeep ride straight uphill, we are at honey valley, hilltop home for pretty much anything a body could want.  the food is delicious and (dangerously) plentiful -- iddli and sambar and coconut chutney in the morning, puris and veg and curd for lunch, chapattis (or parothas), pappadums, veg curries and a sweet for dinner.  the owners made a guide about 20 years ago to the nearby trails -- now quite tattered, but more or less accurate --which range in length and difficulty from a 45-minute flat walk to a trickly waterfall to an 8-hour quest up mt. tadiannamol, and lots in between.  congenial company, too. 

the view from our room ... great spot for a chai and a bit of a read!

spreading the coffee berries out to dry.

il est mort ... at the top of mt. tadiannamol.  on that stick is a weird semi-tribal dead-cat-looking thing made out of napkins.

hampi parade

but what did everyone want to take pictures of? 

  

yup, you guessed it.  moi.