Ode to my Ultra

On this extremely productive Sunday morning, I sit on my couch with the sambar bubbling on the stove, kids napping and the hum of my Ultra grinder serving as a soothing background noise. As I login to my online class, the soothing hum of the motor brings back thoughts from a long time past.

The hum of the grinder has been one constant in life. Week after week, crispy dosas and fluffy idlis found its way to our plate thanks to the trusty old Sowbhagya and later the fancier Ultra. Festival days meant double duty for the grinder. Vadai maavu followed by dosai or adai.

So little wonder when I set up home of my own and father in law visited us for the first time, he was seriously horrified by the lack of idli and dosas. To remedy the situation we made our trip to Iselin and returned home with a 2 liter Ultra perched in our trunk. I resented the bulky grinder on my counter top and resorted to some dirty tricks to banish it from my kitchen. It stayed in one corner of my home for six odd years seeing very rare use.

Then kids happened and the Ultra redeemed counter space and a new level of respect in my eyes. It started innocuously one week with me deciding to make dosa batter so as to have something on hand for dinner each day. Then, Kay and Cee discovered a love for ‘doshi’ and life has not been the same since. So, I now follow in my mom’s footsteps religiously soaking urad dal and rice each week. And living to see the smile on my daughters’ faces as they hold up a piece of rice crepe with holes in it and a twinkle in their eyes.

Ultra, you have me hooked. For now and ever.


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9 responses to “Ode to my Ultra”

  1. Jai Ho to grinders..! While dosai is a staple in our household, I recently rediscovered the wonder of making idli with idli rice instead of long grain rice or Sona Masoori. Yum, yum and yum!!

  2. For me, after struggling for over 2 years week after week with my dear mixie, I begged my parents to get me a grinder. Much research was made, friends asked and Ultra was found to be the choice of all,as it even had a service centre in London. so parents bought the 14 kg grinder 2 months ago and life has been much easy. I prepare dosa batter for 2 weeks at one go, its something Aditi loves and towards the end of the week, we make idlis with it.Amazing super soft idlis, matches restaurant style fluffy and soft idlis. I know how you feel.

  3. Dosa and idli it is week after week for the past 6 years. My sowbagya has stayed with me through the ups and downs of life 😉

    Even people at my office like it so much that I get idlis to my office atleast once a month.

    Grinder – the trademark of madras

  4. Seriously Laksh!!! I love my little grinder too. I think it is only when we leave the safe shores of our homeland, that we realise the value of utilities like Ultra 🙂

  5. I love my ultra too 🙂 I hate Grinder hum but would always trade in for Yummy Dosas .

  6. Also got a grinder when daughter was getting into solids. I think my family had almost had a heart attack after which they almost died laughing. Me and a grinder was such an incongruous picture. Oh well, when you have kids, you just do things you never thought you might! 😀

    Have since switched back to a food processor. We get nice red rice powder here and I like counter space.

  7. Coming from the land where they make it, Girls in Coimbatore don’t leave home without it 🙂

  8. Oh I love my grinder too. I have a Preeti now, ultra had an untimely demise 🙁 Monthly twice I need to have my dosa/idli batter made otherwise “kai odanja madiri” feeling 🙂 And yes, Narad love thoshai’s can have it daily three times a day with a good serving of molagai podi doused in ennai!

  9. My mom would be soo happy to read this! 😀

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