You sit at the restaurant table and ask the question, “What’s special about today?” Pat responds, “Paper roast, sir!”
The term “paper roast” has become such an integral part of South Indian culinary vocabulary that it hardly strikes you as an English phrase! Pepper roast is not just another dosa. It has an added aura – it is paper-thin and roasted to such an extent that it looks like burnt gold! It’s wafer-crisp and with each bite, you can feel it crackling as it melts in the mouth!
The restaurant kitchen looks like the boiler of a steam engine! An array of pans, a battalion of burners, smoke rises all around, and through all that mist, you can see the dosas in various stages of metamorphosis!
The magician is at work, as if endowed with a dozen arms. He works in a frenzy – pours out the batter, spreads it in a circle, sprinkles a little oil and soon, the dosa is pounded to life. It’s all over, going from pan to pan, scraping and scooping and before you know it, Plates on Plates is ready with “Paper Roast.” He steps far and stirs the sambar kadhai! The air is scented with fragrance that makes you hungry all the more!
shape shifter
Paper roast comes in all shapes: rounded, folded into triangles or stacked conical! It is a visual treat as golden dosas are placed on the green of a banana leaf. Pepper Roast Stuffed Sambar is steamy and moreover, the textured whiteness of coconut chutney!
As soon as the carrier leaves the kitchen, the paper roast is a head-turner. You roll up your sleeves hopefully, only to find that it’s heading to a different table! A series of false starts like this one fills you up with a little irritation, but you know the wait will be worthwhile!
Now, the carrier holds a giant paper roast, spread several feet and rolled up like a carpet! You wonder if it was for the giants of Brobdingnag! As the item is anchored, an entire table erupts in excitement. Your faith in how it is being consumed has waned. The paper roast is now on your table. It looks delectable, topped with a generous glob of butter. And you can’t wait any longer.
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