Lalita's flat in Rishikesh is set into a cliff face. Near bird's-eye view of the Ganges a few hundred feet below. Her view of the river and of the green peaks behind it make up for the size of her apartment, which makes a cheap studio in Manhattan seem palatial.
Lalita teaches cooking classes in Rishikesh. She also cuts hair. She waxes legs. She gives masages. Her English is better than that of the average Indian man.
"It was mistake that I am born Indian. I am supposed to be born American, U.K., someplace else."
She is teaching me how to cook a plethora of Indian dishes from North and South--the key, I am finding, is in adding the proper masala. There is meat masala, sambhar masala, chole masala, chai masala.... the list is endless. There are shops with shelves lined with varying hues of masalas.
Lalita is my age. She was born in Varanasi, married at 16 years of age. I don't know the details of their married life, only that the marriage was an arranged one. Maybe he beat her--whatever the case, her voice dripped sarcasm when she told me that "he was such a good husband"--that she had to leave him three years into the marriage. He refused to give her a divorce.
"No problem. We are separated. I will never have another husband, so no problem."
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South Indian Masala Dosa
Part 1:
Take:
200 grams rice (not basmati)
50 grams urd dal (those are is: white lentils with black skins, also called Black Beluga Lentils, apparently)
Place in a bowl together, rinse, cover with plenty of water (they'll absorb a lot) and let them soak overnight.
A few hours before you want to make your dosa, take the softened rice and lentils and run the mixture through a blender or a food processor. Add a tablespoon of sugar. Add water as needed so that the mixture ends up with the consistency of pancake batter.
Part 2:
Boil 2 medium potatoes; remove skins. Mash roughly. In a small fry pan, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Add to this 1-2 t. cumin1/2 t. turmeric, 1 t. salt. Stir for 1 minute, and then add the potatoes and fry for a couple of minutes.
Part 3:
Finely dice about 1/4 cup of red onion.
When ready to cook the dosa, add a teaspoon of salt to the batter, mix it in well, and heat up and oil a large fry pan or griddle. Make the dosa the way you might make a crepe--spread the batter with a spatula, or tilt the pan around to spread it out with gravity. add a few drops of oil to the top, especially to the edges to help with flipping. Flip when ready; spread the potato mixture and sprinkle a little diced onion on top. Ready to eat!
(Sambhar and Coconut Chutney coming later....)
