During my last visit to Mumbai, I decided to meet all my old college friends. It was a kind of reunion after a long time. The venue was of course my house and the food had to be a typical south Indian meal. It was very nostalgic to go back to the college days and the fun we had. After sumptuous meal served with payasam, my friends decided to leave except for my closest friend Rina.
She wanted to stay back for a cup of filter coffee. Rina was always fond of this one and she would drop in any time for piping hot & freshly brewed filter coffee. Since I visit Mumbai once a year, Rina would be very eager to enjoy her share of coffee. So, I gifted her much-needed?coffee filter? along with 1/2kg of freshly ground coffee and also gave her the tips of making rich filter coffee.
Hot & freshly brewed coffee has magnificent aroma that will hover around in any south Indian house. It?s a kind of ritual that the ladies do to get that PERFECT DECOCTION.
1.First and foremost, one must be connoisseur of Coffee. A coffee lover would go down to any length to brew it correctly.
- A Coffee Filter is a must. An Indian Coffee filter is a two portion steel container, the bottom portion is for collection and the top portion is where the ground coffee and boiling water are placed. A mushroom shaped filter is located within the top portion. It?s available in various sizes and not expensive.
Of late, Electronic Coffee Maker by reputed brands like Preethi, Crystal are available. It is on the expensive side. I find it very useful.
- Brewing the coffee is Art which one masters by practice. It?s always according to your taste. Some prefer to be strong/light/black. The brew that percolates down is called decoction. It can be strong or light depending on how many spoons of coffee powder is added to the filter.
4.Open the lid of the top portion of filter. Then u remove the mushroom shaped filter. It resembles like an umbrella kind of a strainer. Add 4-6 spoons of finely ground Indian coffee and close it with that strainer.
Coffee powder is available with chicory also. But I prefer always the pure one. It has an authentic& aromatic flavor. The usual brands are Narasus, Tata Coffee, and Leo Coffee. Also Coffee Day too sells varieties of coffee beans. One must select and they will ground it immediately.
5.Add boiling water to this coffee powder. Immediately u can see bubbles emanating from this froth and close it quickly.
- After 15-20 minutes, decoction will get collected in bottom container. Its ready for use.
7.Now boil the milk in a pan.
- First add 1/4th cup of decoction in a glass. Then pour 3/4th cup of hot piping milk. Sugar is always according to one?s taste. This is the normal coffee. One can always increase or decrease the strength of the decoction depending on one?s preference.
9.Don?t ever boil this again as it will kill the beverage and ruin the taste.
10.The authentic flavor of coffee can be enjoyed when served appropriately in a?Tumbler & davara?.{special serving vessel for coffee only.} It gives that?oriental touch? though I m equally at ease with a Coffee Mug.
And finally for those bachelors who stay in Bangalore/Karnataka, Mysore Planters have come up with a novel idea of selling decoctions in sachets. Does it sound like shampoos?Naa?.
Even I was amused, but they are wonderful and can be used in emergencies too.
Its called PERCO.It comes in packet of 5 for Rs10only & available in all leading food stores. Each sachet is 20ml and gives one cup of coffee. It comes with expiry date and best before 4 months of manufacture.
Sadly, its not yet marketed in rest of India.
And yes, Rina has asked me to get Perco on my next trip to Mumbai. She wants to give it a shot?it?s a safe bet.