THE MASALA MAGIC

By John Joseph Panakkal

 

Hotel Komala, at the Kunnamkulam Bus Stand premises, evokes in me, nostalgic memories. That was the place we used to go after school hours. If I remember correctly, the present Kunnamkulam Bus Stand came into existence somewhere around 1977 (Now it looks shabby enough as any bus stand premise in Kerala). But it was brand new then and the bus stand had a small restaurant named ‘Hotel Komala’ in one corner. The hotel mainly served tea and snacks to the passengers. But the main item on its menu was ‘Masala Dosa’.  My school day reminiscences are flavoured by the memories of eating those hot and crisp masala dosas. Even now, I undeniably crave for that sweet and savoury experience.

As a young boy, barely ten years old, I hardly had any pocket money and had to rely on the occasional gift of one rupee from my mother, but ‘One Rupee’ was a fortune in those days! With a one rupee coin, you could have a masala dosa and a coffee and still have 40 paisa left for some sweets. Lunch in those days used to cost 1 rupee and a single tea or coffee use to cost 10 paisa.

Masala dosa’s were served in Hotel Komala in the afternoons and by the time school was over, my craving for sweets would have already reduced my pocket money from Rs 1 to 50 paisa. So all I could order at the table was one lone masala dosa!

How can I recount the experience of having a masala dosa at the hotel Komala..! Having a masala dosa at the Komala was a sweet ritual.  First you go and wash your grimy hands, so full of dust and dirt collected from the school grounds and wait for a vacant seat, which would be so difficult to find at that time of the evening. The fame of the Komala masala dosa was so much that it was virtually impossible to have a seat soon after you wash your hands. So what do you do…?  The trick is in being quick and clever..! You take a quick glance at people around you chomping on the mouth-watering dish  and decide in a jiffy, who is going to vacate his or her seat in the next few seconds and immediately dive in that direction as soon as the person gets up. Now the million dollar question…? What to order…? Friends… with the delicious smell of the masala dosa wafting all around you…..you could order only one thing at that instant….nothing else but the masala dosa…!

Yes …you order and then what…? You just wait....that is all…! You wait eagerly to savour that divine dose of lusciously enticing dish. Yes, minutes creep by and you feel the rising impatience when you see one or two guys who had ordered after you, being served the masala dosa...! You would have forgiven the   waiter if it was some other dish..! You feel that distinct sense of irritation self starting at the back of your throat. Why am I not being served...? Still you retain your self control, a real virtue in those times and wait...! Finally the waiter, that celestial envoy from the kitchen arrives carrying with him several plates of masala dosa. You still wonder whether you are the chosen one...? Whether you will be served before your neighbour or...you are going to be piped to the post and humiliated one more time..? No, it is going to be you before your neighbour sitting as anxiously as you for that masala dosa....! Hurray..! Praise the Lord...! Let everything be forgiven....yes there is still justice in this world and all can be forgiven...! Even murder...! Yes..... the kind waiter has consented to place the last plate of masala dosa in front of you...! Hallelujah...! God is great...!

Now the world has become small...so small that all that you see and hear is the masala dosa in front of you...! Ha...the delicate scent of freshly mashed potatoes, baby onions, the crazy reddishness of beetroot juice over the crisp carrots and the aroma of coriander and mint leaves flavoured with mustard ....everything is meant to send you into a tizzy.

Then there are the small side dishes accompanying the masala dosa. First is the ubiquitous ‘Sambhar’ followed by Coconut Chutney. On most days, you are also served tomato/onion sauce to go with your dosa.

It is well and truly a mouth watering combination and as you decide to wade into your plate...you hear ‘shameless’ lip smacking sounds all around you. Every single person around you is having a “scrummy yummy orgasm”.

The moment of truth..!Tenderly you twist a piece of the dosa and dip it into either the Sambhar or the coconut chutney or the tomato/onion sauce, depending on your choice at that time and gently place it in your mouth. Yes, my dear food connoisseur, your journey has begun. You are now relishing the best moment of your day. As you savour the dosa slowly, you realise that you are indeed lucky to be born in Kunnamkulam and studying in Bethany St John’s English School, which enables you to be present in Komala hotel at exactly 4 O’clock after leaving school and just before your bus leaves for home...!

The masala dosa opens-up to reveal its treasures inside. You take a look at the curry leaves and the long green chilly pieces and coriander leaves that adorn the masala mix inside and wonder what godly hands invented this hearty mix and once again wonder at that event called ‘evening tea’ and its blessings..!

Well, once the dosa was over I used to feel sad as I had exhausted my pocket money and the wish to have one more dosa has to wait for another day.

Now has all that talk about the masala dosa vetted your taste-buds...? Go ahead and have a dosa. Also take your family along with you...Let them also share and enjoy your memories of childhood...!

Tail-Piece: I had tasted masala dosa in  all its  avatars from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. No masala dosa comes even close to the taste of ‘Komala Masala’ dosa of those days..! Sadly, no one produces the same tasty dosas anymore. The secret it seems, was the way the masala was cooked in a Copper pot and served piping hot. Now-a-days, hotels do not use Copper pots for cooking..! What a sad loss to dosa connoisseurs..!

 

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John Joseph Panakkal

Principal 

MTM College of Arts, Science & Commerce. Veliyancode