ExpertDabbler

Going by the title of this post, if any of you imagined a motivational song sequence where PK, with the help of a good-looking heroine, some senti lyrics, a few extras and riveting BGMs quickly learns the way of the kitchen and starts a tiffin center on his own name, you guys are watching too many Rajini movies I tell you.

KTC is but a tiffin center run by some nice soul with an open air kitchen in Anna Nagar 2nd Avenue right next to Hot Chips.

I did not know all these vital stats till my friend Ramanathan asked me that fateful question.”KTC is famous, you did not know?” Me not knowing a well-known middle-class tiffin center? It runs in my blood. My dad was one of those types who will walk kilometers in scorching Madurai weather for that single glass of “Jigir Thanda” in South Masi Road.

So after 17 kilometres of civilized torture in the name of Chennai traffic, I find this KTC.Turns out a kayendhi bhavan with an address.

With a dosai master who looked like he had taken his last bath as recently as last Diwali and the faint aroma of a leaking drainage somewhere nearby adding to the ambience, I soon figured out expecting cleanliness in this place is like expecting Shakeela to win an Oscar for best acting.

The buttery dosai was ok. What caught my eye was the way the dosai master handled them. Not very different from the way Sehwag treated the most innocuous of all bowlers. A series of lofted strokes, a rasping pull and a delectable late-cut, and all the six dosais were ready to be served.

But what caught me out panting was when I got rash and ordered a Podi Dosai. I got this big cake of Chili Idly Powder neatly wrapped in a thin layer which passed for the dosai. I was a raging bulldog crying big time when I was half way through. A pity I had just two legs. Another pair of legs and a tail and I would have gladly run all the way from Anna Nagar to home just to give vent to all the heat generated.

Nothing serious happened. A belching series and a visit to the most important place at home and I was back to my normal self. And to all those who know cooking as much as I know, come near me and I’ll tell you a secret for the best, most economical dinner on a week day.

Go to the nearest shop and get a packet of Brittania Good Day along with a banana.

But the version to be told when your Amma or wife or husband returns back is this,”Oh nee illena enna? I had a great time. I made a fabulous uppuma with kotsu. A pity you missed that. Neeyum dhaaan ithanai varushama pannare, oru naalavadhu ipdi pannirukiya?”

How would they know that our style of uppuma is actually made by Brittania!.

Honestly, I could not think of a better dinner given our sub-zero skill-sets and what more you can crunch this thing one handed, sitting on a sofa happily watching our Super Star say “Lakalakalakalaka….” in one of those four hundred thousand channels.

Naalai vidumurai. Catch you on Sunday then….

This entry was posted on Friday, May 27th, 2005 at 8:06 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.