Dosa

P.C :- Zoshua Colah; Unsplash

the tawa sizzles when a speck of batter slips
from the ladle ever so carelessly,
deftly managed by rhythmic motion of hand
swirling swift circles in tandem
to the heart beating in anticipation
of a crispy crunchy dosa.

this may seem an instant process of five minutes
but t’was conceived a day in advance,
the lentils and rice soaked for a few hours
then painstakingly ground to a batter,
left to ferment for six to eight hours depending on the clime.

and finally when the batter hits the tawa,
it’s a heart in the mouth moment
the jury is out to decide,
will it turn crispy, will it turn crunchy,
will it turn soggy and plain?
i like mine crispy, with the sound reverberating through the eardrums
the mild sourness of a well fermented batter touching the rooftops of the mouth
in sync with the various chutneys and sambar that fight to adorn the plate
a strong filter coffee to wash it down would be an icing on the cake.

food is art,
food is devotion
food is prayer
and would i mess with my dosa by calling it a pancake?
Nah! never!

Acknowledgements :- Thank you Sanaa Rizvi for hosting Poetics at dVerse, where we were encouraged to explore atleast one of the five senses in food poetry. Thank you all for stopping by and reading.