IDLI-DOSA SHOOTOUT
By Vengrai Parthasarathy
The Egmore Friends met again, as they usually do on Sunday mornings, at the Udupi Pankaja . They had their cosy corner where they expatiated on their pet themes and peeves. This time the subject was ,” Idli or Dosa?
Thimmappa, a Dosa aficionado, spoke first. What he said in praise of Dosa was a prosaic list of the Dosa’s merit, as if by rote.. The challenge came from Seeni . He bristled. His hackles were up. His passions were aroused. Thimmappa had spoken not only in praise of the Dosa but he had also made snide remarks roundly condemning Idli, as tasteless, anaemic ‘stuff’. Seeni began his speech while his friends sat in awed silence.
” Somebody has to take up cudgels and spoons and forks in defence of the ‘white, round wonder’ which has been defamed by my friend.. I shall state the case of Idli, the ‘Aristocrat of the Breakfast Table” and leave it to you to decide which is tops.. I shall do so without denigrating the flat, dark, light, reddish-brown greasy preparation which is variously known as dosa, dosha, dosai et al. I have heard it said that the Dosa is an accident of culinary history. An angry housewife had sloshed a little dough on the Thava. After a while she saw the batter transformed into an oval-shaped crepe. She tasted it, liked it and propagated it as a new dish and named it Dosa.. Thus was an illegitimate dish born. Another theory is that it is a desi variety of the sweet dosa-like pancake, made popular in USA by IHOP..
It was claimed that Dosa can be made in dozens of ways.. No,.it is the same vamp with all sorts of fillings and vegetables, even butter On the other hand the Idli stands by itself, in solitary splendor.. The greasy, calorific dosa will jack up the cholesterol level way above the double century mark. It is fattening. And, you need an iron-clad stomach to stomach it. No doubt about that…Dosha ! A close cousin in etymology–stands
for planetary stigma.
On the other hand Idli which is made with fermented rice and black gram (urad dhal) is a good source of carbohydrates and proteins .It is no surprise that hospitals in Chennai, birth place of the Idli, prescribe the nutritious Idli even for patients under intensive care. The doctors’ verdict? Idli is steam-cooked, easily digestible and healthy. Cheers!.
The Idli is a bit of a flirt. Some like it bathed in vengAya Sambhar (Take a scoop of the Idli with a spoon, dip it in Sambhar and enjoy!) There are others who like it smeared with coconut Chutney and the orthodox few prefer it with chilli-powder. . The Idli cognoscenti who are picky eaters say that Idlis are never eaten or consumed or devoured. They are savoured. Idli, surely, needs accompaniments. like the Vidwans and Ustads who need violin or mrdangam or tabla. Conjeevaram Idli and Rava idli are but colorable imitations of the supreme lord of the breakfast domain…
Left-over idlis? Ammu Patti, the venerable old lioness of the old-world kitchen says “ Break up a few idlis into bite-size chunks, add some chilli powder and the usual ‘thaalip gently roast it in medium heat. There you have uslip another incarnation of the Idli . Some plunge Idli pieces in the Bajji batter and fry it, calling it Idji or Badli… It takes all kinds to make this world.
A simple visual test: A fluffy, geometrical beauty of pristine purity in one corner and the brown, doubled-up dosa, reeking of oil and cholesterol in the other.. The wow-meter will go crazy for Idli. No need to say who the winner is. .Let me add that the sad-looking dosa has some uses.. Once in a long while, as an evening snack, it may pass muster.. But Breakfast? No, sirree. It is out and out Idli territory, Idli holds court there..”. Seeni sat down . A quick poll resulted in a tie. Everyone waited with bated breath for Venkatachalm the eldest of the group, to give his casting vote. “ If you ask me…”, he paused and let the suspense build up .. ‘ and thenpaused again and then with a wink he said:”I will go for UPMA ten out of ten times”. (Vengrai..com)