Batter nostalgia

These posts by DotThoughts, took me back to the days when I was trying my hand at the batter routine for the first time. Married to a mallu and at the time staying abroad where there were no udipi restaurants meant that I had to pick up batter making skills. My husband P kept telling me how sorely he missed those soft fluffy idlis and golden crisp dosas his mom made.
My mom used idli-rava and urad dal and I tried that route once only to be told that the idlis were good, but they weren't the real idlis.
Phone calls were made back to India and precise amounts of rice, par-boiled rice and dal were obtained from the m-i-l and the batter made. But no, it did not ferment properly although I placed it right next to the heater all night long. With baking soda to the rescue the batter was somehow finished.
Another phone call and we were told that "uluva" methi seeds were the most important ingredient and those would do the trick.
Off we went to the indian shop in the city center and bought a packet of methi seeds. The other ingredients were all measured out and a spoon ful of methi seeds added. Ah, we are going to have great dosas I said to myself, before going off to bed. The methi seeds packet was lying there right next to the soaked dal.
Woke up in the morning and sauntered to the kitchen and to my horror found that the methi seeds packet was half empty and the vessel with dal seemed to have a layer of methi seeds on top. I shrieked. The hubby came running in and confessed to have added the seeds. The methi seeds are the ones that will get the batter to ferment he reasoned so the more the seeds the better the fermentation.
"Do you know that methi seeds taste bitter?" I asked.
"No" he replied...
The next half an hour went in removing as many seeds as we could followed by grinding the batter. After another 10 hours the batter was fermented very nicely and with fingers crossed I made the first dosa.
Hubby was waiting anxiously. The Dosa looked good, nice golden brown and crispy. He took the first bite with me watching out for his reaction. "Not bad" he said," just a little bitter".
I took a bite. Eew, bitter definitely bitter!

Tried all sorts of things after that, added rava, maida, more ground dal but the batter remained bitter and we had to throw some of it away.
Sigh! Those were good days.Now of course the batter is never a problem and hence there are no stories to tell................................

And it happens again...

We were at Odyssey last night roaming the aisles , well stuck to the "Bargain corner" to be more precise. Picking books at random, dropping some in the shopping basket and some back. When under a load of books, I noticed a Tarla Dalal book peeping out. I immediately pulled it out.
Now she has written hordes of books, with every conceivable cuisine, in addition to sub topics such as cooking with children, for children and what have you. But will any of these be available to me? No, the only one to land up in the bargain corner when I am around is the one on "Idlis and Dosas".
First the blogs, now even the books!!!