How we check a Manamadurai clay pot before it ships
Tap, soak, fill and wait overnight: the tests every clay pot goes through in our back room.
Getting your first crisp dosa on an iron tawa
Heat, a splash of water, onion on a fork and patience: how to make a new iron tawa release a dosa cleanly.
Our iron tawas leave the shop seasoned, but the first few dosas on any iron tawa can stick. It is the most common worry we hear in the first week, and the fix is almost always heat and technique, not the tawa.
Start with the flame on medium and give the tawa a full five minutes to heat through. A 12-inch, 3 mm tawa holds a lot of metal, and the centre heats before the edges. Test it by sprinkling a few drops of water. If they sit and boil, it is not ready. If they dance and vanish within two seconds, it is.
Now rub the surface with half an onion dipped in gingelly oil, held on a fork. This leaves a thin, even layer of oil and cleans the surface. Then sprinkle a little water and wipe it with a cloth or the onion again. The hiss brings the temperature down slightly, which is what lets the batter spread thin instead of setting in lumps. Pour a ladle of batter in the centre and spread it outwards in circles in one go, quickly.
Drizzle a few drops of oil around the edge, lower the flame slightly and wait. Do not try to lift it early. When the edges turn golden and lift on their own, usually after a minute and a half, the dosa will release. Between dosas, sprinkle water and wipe again. Expect the first two or three to be thick or uneven. By the end of the first week, with daily use, the tawa will be noticeably smoother.
