I love my friend Anjalina. She’s always up to something.
A lot of somethings.
Books.
Cooking classes.
A youtube channel.
And her latest endeavour: a food duel at the Eat Street market against Masala’73. (Go ANJALINA!!!)
She took me to Chennai Masala Dosa, a place that started by only delivering food and has now opened a restaurant in the Les Corts borough. The best Dosa Barcelona. I sat back and let her order the food and give me a quick tutorial in whats what, where this food comes from, how it’s eaten and a rating on its authenticity. The owner, she tells me, is from the South of India.
Our food arrives: paper masala dosa (€8.5), masala vada (€7.45), thali (€11.95), lassi to drink (€4).
I tuck in while Anjalina fills me in on her latest adventures.
When the owner stops by our table. Anjalina chides him “There were no curry leaves in the palya (the potato filling for the dosa)”
“The reason for that” he explains “is that there are no curry leaves in Spain.”
“Why are there no curry leaves in Spain?” I exclaim, interrupting him.
He pauses, turns to me and smirks “Why? Why is the sky high?” He turns his hand up in the air, as if unscrewing a light bulb and gestures at the sky.
I burst out laughing. I’m no longer an adult and a mother but a kid who is talking too much at the grown ups table and has been metaphorically told to zip it.
As we eat, Anjalina explains all the chutneys and foods on the tray. I happily clink the metal pots. A little of this, a little of that. Tear off a little more dosa. Slurp down my lassi, reminiscent to the Ayran I grew up drinking.
“You know.” Anjalina tells me, pointing to her thali “in India, you take these little pots off the tray, the rice goes in the middle of the large platter, you pour the dal on top and eat with your fingers. But we are in civilized society here.” She giggles.
“Tell me about it. When I came to Europe from Kuwait, I ate spaghetti with my fingers. My maternal grandmother was mortified.”
We smile at each other. We both know what its like to be the foreigner who does things a little bit differently.
Chennai Masala Dosa Barcelona
Carrer de Galileu, 326
Les Corts 08028
facebook.com/Chennaimasaladosa/
There are Curry leaves in Barcelona, I have two packets of fresh leaves in my freezer.
Where do you get yours? Sometimes I find them and sometimes I don’t.
You can find curry leaves in Dong Fang Asian supermarket, on Balmes, near Plaça Catalunya.
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Sir i am abhishek from india i am biggest fan of dosa sooo i want to eat your food