<p>I am Prasanna Harihar MD for my dear friends. My declared passion and love for an object, that has become synonymous with Bengaluru, has perched me on this altar. It’s not my initials; nor is it my qualifications to practice medicine that have gifted my this nickname. I’m a self-declared exponent of the “Masala Dosa.” Like an exquisite art form, that first takes shape in the artist’s mind, the pre-preparation to soak the right ingredients in an optimal proportion is a pre-requisite.</p>.<p>The consistency of the batter is highlighted by the texture and the colour. The batter soaked overnight is allowed to ferment and rise, which can be equated to a flower emerging from its bud.</p>.<p>Voila! A debut experience catapulted me to be an ardent student of MD. Introduced to this discipline at a tender age of 12, with mom’s ready batter, I took to it like a duck to water. Indeed, an art form since it involved the careful process of heating the pan to the ideal temperature. The next step is to spread the batter with a ladle to achieve a perfectly round shape. The right quantity of oil sprinkled around it helps is cook to achieve a crisp texture and a golden colour. </p>.<p>There are various avatars of dosa – aloo curry on the inside for Masala Dosa, Karnataka-styled mixed vegetable curry or Sagu Masala, Davanagere Benne Dosa where the potato curry is served on the side along with chutney and butter, a red-chutney made of red chillies, onion, and garlic smeared on the inside for Mysuru Masala Dosa, a set of soft and slightly thicker spongy ones for Set Dosa, and so on. </p>.<p>Masala Dosa enjoyed with two to three different varieties of chutney is a delight fit for a king. A Sunday morning MD followed by the aroma and sip of a hot filter coffee catapults one to the threshold of heaven. My friends and I under the pretext of walking, devour MDs at the famous MTR, Vidyarthi Bhavan, CTR, Darshinis, SLV that dot our city.</p>.<p>The king of breakfast delicacies’ twin ‘idli’ is celebrated on March 30 as world idli day. I’m all geared up now to launch a movement to celebrate January 1 as World MD Day, giving a mouth-watering start to a fresh year. </p>.<p>My mouth salivates as I wax lyrical about Masala Dosas. I reach into the refrigerator for the batter and parallelly start brewing rich filter coffee, set the pan to heat and destabilise my inertia to cook a little potato curry for another ‘perfect MD!’ </p>
<p>I am Prasanna Harihar MD for my dear friends. My declared passion and love for an object, that has become synonymous with Bengaluru, has perched me on this altar. It’s not my initials; nor is it my qualifications to practice medicine that have gifted my this nickname. I’m a self-declared exponent of the “Masala Dosa.” Like an exquisite art form, that first takes shape in the artist’s mind, the pre-preparation to soak the right ingredients in an optimal proportion is a pre-requisite.</p>.<p>The consistency of the batter is highlighted by the texture and the colour. The batter soaked overnight is allowed to ferment and rise, which can be equated to a flower emerging from its bud.</p>.<p>Voila! A debut experience catapulted me to be an ardent student of MD. Introduced to this discipline at a tender age of 12, with mom’s ready batter, I took to it like a duck to water. Indeed, an art form since it involved the careful process of heating the pan to the ideal temperature. The next step is to spread the batter with a ladle to achieve a perfectly round shape. The right quantity of oil sprinkled around it helps is cook to achieve a crisp texture and a golden colour. </p>.<p>There are various avatars of dosa – aloo curry on the inside for Masala Dosa, Karnataka-styled mixed vegetable curry or Sagu Masala, Davanagere Benne Dosa where the potato curry is served on the side along with chutney and butter, a red-chutney made of red chillies, onion, and garlic smeared on the inside for Mysuru Masala Dosa, a set of soft and slightly thicker spongy ones for Set Dosa, and so on. </p>.<p>Masala Dosa enjoyed with two to three different varieties of chutney is a delight fit for a king. A Sunday morning MD followed by the aroma and sip of a hot filter coffee catapults one to the threshold of heaven. My friends and I under the pretext of walking, devour MDs at the famous MTR, Vidyarthi Bhavan, CTR, Darshinis, SLV that dot our city.</p>.<p>The king of breakfast delicacies’ twin ‘idli’ is celebrated on March 30 as world idli day. I’m all geared up now to launch a movement to celebrate January 1 as World MD Day, giving a mouth-watering start to a fresh year. </p>.<p>My mouth salivates as I wax lyrical about Masala Dosas. I reach into the refrigerator for the batter and parallelly start brewing rich filter coffee, set the pan to heat and destabilise my inertia to cook a little potato curry for another ‘perfect MD!’ </p>