Five to eleven: a morning in our kitchen

Our doors open at 7 am, but the kitchen wakes up long before that. Here is what happens between 5 am and the end of tiffin service.

At five, Selvam, our dosa master for sixteen years, checks the batter that was ground the night before. If the weather is cold and it has not risen enough, he moves the tubs nearer the stove; in the April heat, he moves them into the cool room so they do not turn sour. At the same time, two cooks start on the day’s chutneys: coconut, tomato and the green coriander chutney, all ground fresh in small batches, so there is never a tray left from yesterday.

By six, the sambar is on the fire. Our masala is ground every morning from roasted coriander, dry chillies, fenugreek and a little coconut, and the toor dal is cooked separately so it stays slightly thick. The coffee decoction is brewed in large brass filters from a blend roasted for us in Coimbatore, so the first cup is ready for the staff before customers arrive.

At seven, the tawa is hot and the first ghee roast goes out. Between 8 and 9.30 am we make about 250 dosas, 300 idlis and 120 vadas, and the kitchen is very loud. By eleven, tiffin ends and the lunch team has already taken over the stoves: rice, kootu and poriyal for the meal service. The batter grinders start again that evening at nine.