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Showing posts from October, 2017

Railway Tawah

By Angelo Bissersarsingh A fictional account of Roti-making using railway equipment :>) Now as any good Indo Trinidadian knows, a light, fluffy paratha roti cannot be made without a tawah which is anything but flawlessly smooth. The thin sheet of dough leavened with rich ghee is laid on the hot metal disc, suspended over an earthen chulha (fireplace) and beaten like a thief with a dabla ( wooden paddle) . The resulting delectable shreds are called Buss-up-Shutt in local parlance because of the resemblance it bears to a torn shirt. Well, mainly because of the high cost of ghee, paratha remained a delicacy for special occasions like weddings, pujas and such high ceremony, the pancake-like, bland, sada roti being the daily staple. In the 1950’s, an Indian wedding could require an outlay of about a year’s wages for a labourer, so that all economies had to be observed without being too parsimonious for that would inadvertently attract the snide sort of commentary that makes vi