If you are going to visit Kamarajar Salai in the city of Madurai, you will surely come across a dosa shop, which will introduce you to one of the best delicacies loved by one and all.
A handwritten logo, which reads “Azhagarkoil dosas” will take you to an old residence where 70-year-old hardworking person TV Viswanathan will be serving special frying dosas.
You will witness a great rush outside the place during the evenings. A number of people gather at the place during the evening to taste the delicacy.
Viswanathan has been selling the dosas for 35 years now.
While talking to the media people, an elated Viswanathan said, “I worked at the temple kitchen as a storekeeper for two years in the 70s and learnt to make dosas from the head cook. I used to watch him prepare the batter carefully and fry dosas on a panchaloha every day. The dosa is the evening ‘naivedhyam’ and popular among devotees and tourists alike.”
After Viswanathan left his job, Viswanathan made up his mind to try and prepare this special delicacy at home.
This special dosa is completely different from normal dosas as it is fried—either in oil or ghee. In addition, it has some pepper, cumin, dry ginger, as well as asafoetida that augments its taste.
He stated, “The key is the proportion of raw rice and urad dal in the batter. Traditionally, only the samba variety of rice is used and hence the dosas are also called ‘Samba dosai’. We continue to hand-pound the rice in ural, to achieve the taste. Coarsely ground urad dal is added and mixed to the rice batter and left to ferment for a couple of hours.”
Viswanathan, who makes these delightful Azhagarkoil dosas, has been making use of the similar silver utensils since the beginning of this business i.e. around 35 years.
The famous personality boasts of a large customer base, which comprises old as well as new ones. The most popular dosa seller offers his yummy delights at a small price.
He said, “The dosas served in the temple are fried in pure ghee, but I use a mix of oil and ghee to make it affordable and sell them for Rs 25. I also offer a smaller variant for Rs 15 and Rs 10 for parties and evening meetings.”
So whenever you visit Madurai, do not forget to enjoy this delicacy!
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