Telu avalakki oggarane - a quick snack with paper thin poha/beaten rice

How was your weekend? Good? That means you should ask me the same question as common courtsey and since you cannot ask until you see this post, I will assume you did and will give you a response -). I had a great weekend, majorly because of a visit from a dear friend. She is someone I have known for over 2 decades now and am glad we haven't lost contact. Though she has come to US a few times before, this is the first time she was able to come home and meet up with us and that was wonderful. We did some customary sight seeing and a little bit of shopping as neither of us are big shoppers and spent the rest of the 1.5 days blabbering and chatting incessantly. People, places, schools, colleges, food, family.. nothing was spared in the chats. There are very few people I open up to in this World and she is one of them. When you meet personally and have a heart to heart talk, you realize how useless Skype, Gtalk, facebook, vonage and everything else put together is. Friends are a treasure, you laugh, you smile, you cry and you share, here is to a friend that has been in my life for more than half of my life itself.

The other day I was looking at my recipe index and didn't find many poha recipes. For a South Indian, poha or beaten rice is as much a staple as rice and used extensively in breakfast and snack items. Just like many other South Indians, I use this ingredient as it is quick, delicious, filling and easily convertible into a dish. I will not overload you all with contiguous poha related posts from today :-) but have put a sticky note to self to build my poha recipes on the blog. So you will see them as they come in the future.

Telu Avalakki or paper avalakki or extra thin poha is a variety of beaten rice that needs no cooking at all. See here for a creamy, delicious thin poha with yogurt or mosaravalakki. This recipe is precious to me because it is my dad's favorite. I think it is one of the few recipes I learnt outside of my mother's repertoire and my father enjoyed the taste thoroughly. I kind of took over evening snack making from Nammamma when I was in high school, being a very picky teenager that would not be happy with many of the things made every day. Amma would be tired and one day she told me to go ahead and make something that pleased me and that is how culinary journey began(well, that is the official story and I am sticking to it). But barring the few times I was completely in charge of the kitchen when in college, I was almost 'a chef that cooked only snack items' :-). So at that age and the inexperience abound, all I could make was small eats and nothing elaborate. Spice has been my middle name and my sister tells me that I eat too much spice for my own good but it is a habit I have not been able to resist. So needless to say that most of my creations were fast foods and savory/spicy when I emerged from the kitchen.

This Telu Avalakki oggarane (seasoned thin poha) is not my original creation, the idea came from a cousin who used to travel and I believe he brought it home from one of his North Karnataka travels. Then, we modified it with our choice of ingredients and made it our own. Served on a wide, fresh cut banana leaf or a turmeric leaf, this is one of the most delectable quick eats I make. Add to that, it is low calorie and involves very little stove time for getting the seasoning done. Perfect for a hot Summer day when you are tired. Eat it just like that for a snack or with a bowl of thick yogurt on the side for a full meal.

What do you need to make Telu Avalakki Oggarane? 
Makes 3 servings
2 packed cups paper thin avalakki (look for extra thin poha but not the glossy kind)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (fresh tastes best, or use frozen brought to room temperature)
1 Tblsp finely chopped onion
1 Tsp chutney pudi 
1/2 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
2 Tblsp chopped cilantro
1 Tblsp lemon juice (half lemon)
Seasoning: 
2 Tsp oil
1/8 Tsp asafoetida
1 Tsp mustard seeds
1 Tsp urad dal/uddina bele
couple of curry leaves (optional)
2 green chilies (adjust to taste)

How do you make Telu Avalakki Oggarane? 

• Bring all ingredients listed except for the seasoning part together in a bowl and mix them well (use clean hands) squeezing a little as you mix.
• Keep aside and get the seasoning ready. 

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, urad dal and chopped chilies. Add Asafoetida and curry leaves once mustard starts to splutter. 
• Add the seasoning to the poha mixture, mix it in and serve it immediately. 

Notes: 

• You can add a Tblsp of crisp hurigadle or chatni dal or roasted chana dal to the mixture. 
• Onions, lemon juice  and coconut help make Avalakki soft and slightly moist. You do not need any water. 
• Chutney pudi is my personal preference, you can skip this but I urge you to try it once before you dismiss the idea. 
• Do not keep this Oggarane avalakki for long after mixing, it tends to become soggy and loses the texture.