Avalakki with Cilantro masala - a twist to your favorite breakfast

How many of you think breakfast is the most important meal of the day? I am sure a lot of you do. How many of you want to eat healthy and sumptuous for breakfast, again it probably is a vast majority. How many of you actually eat healthy at breakfast? I am not talking about a cup of yogurt parfait or a banana and a bar of granola or an oats porridge. Granted, these are healthy options and good for breaking your fast in the morning and feel energetic for longer in the morning. All good options for a week day 'run out of the door' mornings. What about those beautiful weekends, when you are not rushed to breeze out of the front door? When morning is not exactly (ahem) morning but almost noon, what if you are looking to hit 2 birds with a single stone? Yes, I am talking about the brunch here, and what if you are looking for a 'shuddha Desi (pure Indian)' option for a lazy brunch?

My sugar tolerance is very low which is not a medical condition by any means but rather a personal choice. This immediately rules out a lot of the common western breakfast options for me. I don't like to eat bagels every day of my life either, a bread toast reminds me of the flu season in India where for some reason (that totally escapes my rationale) white bread dipped in warm milk is considered as the perfect food for patients :-). Imagine my plight when 3 out of 5 days bread toast would be on the table during my year and half at the hostel :-(. I like something hot or atleast warm for my breakfast, it also needs to be salty and spicy (atleast not sugary).

After uppittu (/upma), avalakki or poha must be the most popular breakfast and snack item in all of India. I am no exception to this general rule, I fit the stereotype perfectly, I love poha in all its avatars. North to South, East to West, this humble ingredient shines in both savory and sweet recipes. It is a treasured offering for little Krishna every year in many homes. But it can get boring if you were to make the same recipe over and over again, thankfully the raw ingredient is such a sport for any and all kinds of experimentation. So if you are bored of the usual Western Indian kanda poha (onion with poha), batata poha (potatoes with poha) or the Southern favorites like the gojjavalakki, mosaravalakki etc and would like to taste a new flavor loaded with some good vegetables, this recipe is waiting for you.

I am a self declared herb snob (as I am a yogurt snob and fresh veggies snob, ...etc), and really pamper my herbs when I get them home. I usually do the shopping on Friday so I can spend some one on one time with my herbs as soon as I get home and give them the TLC. The freshness and the flavor it adds to any dish is just not easy to describe to someone who is not familiar with it. I am addicted to cilantro and curry leaves and use them liberally in my cooking. Growing up in India, every little kid would know to go to the street corner shop and get a cilantro bunch paying 10 paise if you were one of the families that didn't grow these every day herbs at home or needed a little extra that day. Well, I am talking about the long gone times in India and the new Reliance Fresh and such super markets do not bring you the same level of fun as going to your local grocer.

Cilantro though available in abundance and year round here, due to long journeys they make to get to the super market shelves, would already have spent a good amount of their life in the transit. They look fresh in the stores only because fresh water is sprayed on them periodically. If you do not take care of them as soon as you get them home, their future is very bleak. All that water on them keeps them looking green in the stores but you need to get them dry and remove the moisture content if you want them not to start decaying. I chop the root off while the bunch is still held together and wash the good stalks and leaves thoroughly in water to remove any trace of mud or dirt. Once done, I pick out any dry looking or mashed up leaves and spread the rest on a paper towel until all the moisture is gone. Take a large container with lid, put a dry paper towel at the bottom, spread the washed and pat dried leaves on it and cover it with another dry paper towel before closing the lid.

This way, cilantro stays fresh for a week and more if you continue to prune and pick out any leaves that show dryness or decay as the days go by.

I had a lot of cilantro smiling at me when I opened the refrigerator on Saturday, so I knew I had to use them in my brunch prep. Then the other star of this recipe is the chayote squash or 'seeme badane kaayi' as it is called in Kannada. Some people refer to it as Bengaluru Badanekayi though it has no relation or resemblance to the eggplant :-). This is a squash, so has a lot of water content in it and hence very light in calories. This is a very unassuming vegetable that can play either a stellar main role in a recipe or an equally wonderful supporting role. This is another vegetable nammamma used frequently and I loved her 'sihi palya' or sweet stir fry with loads of shredded coconut, some crunchy seasoning and a tiny bit of white sugar. Perfect side for a hot steamed rice and saaru combination :-). Well that palya will come on the blog later. I get the chayote squash frequently as I like to make not just the palya but also grate and add it to my akki rottis, yumm!!

I used chayote squash in my poha recipe instead of the ever popular potatoes. These bites hold their shape unlike the other varieties of squash and mixed with the cilantro masala, they taste delicious. Even if you are a die hard fan of the tubers, you should give this a try, I guarantee you won't miss the carbs of the potatoes but more likely you will be happy you added this vegetable to the dish to simply elevate its nutrient value.

I get a Nepali red avalakki here in the stores which I love for the taste and also the thickness. It is a tad bit healthier than the white variety, just like white rice Vs brown rice. Give it a try if you haven't. Different types of avalakki take different soaking times and usually the thick variety is used in the savory items as they get cooked for a little while and need to stay on the hot stove.

What do you need to make Cilantro Avalakki? 
3 cups of medium avalakki **
1 medium sized chayote squash
1.5 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 Tbsp lime/lemon juice
1/2 Tsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tsp mustard
1/2 Tsp cumin
1 Tsp chana dal
1 Tsp urad dal
1-2 dry red chilies (optional, I used it for color and later discarded them)
To Grind: 
1.5 cups roughly chopped cilantro (use the leaves and stalks for more flavor)
1 Tsp chopped onion (optional)
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
3-5 green chilies (per your spice tolerance)
2 Tbsp grated coconut

** Poha is also called flattened rice or beaten rice.
How do you make cilantro Avalakki?

• Wash the chayote squash, remove the two ends and peel off the skin. This tends to get sticky, so as soon as you peel the veggie, wash thoroughly again. 
• Cut it in half vertically, remove the seed in the bottom half of the vegetable. Chop the two halves into bite sized pieces. 

• Cook the vegetable for 8-9 minutes along with 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 Tsp of salt. It should be tender but hold the shape. Drain all the water and reserve the cooked pieces. 
• Wash avalakki in water, pick any dirt. 
• If medium variety is used, just let the washed avalakki sit for about 5 minutes. If using thick variety follow steps in the notes. 
• Take all ingredients listed under 'To Grind' in a blender jar and blend it to a smooth paste without using water preferably. Start by pulsing to break down the ingredients and then run the blender for 30-60 secs to get a paste. 
• Heat a wide pan with oil, add mustard, cumin and the dals, let them roast until the mustard starts to pop and the dals turns golden. 
• Add the ground paste and mix it in. Fry for 30-45 seconds to remove any extra moisture. 

• Add the cooked chayote squash pieces and salt and mix well. - Here is a great stir fry if you want to stop and eat this :-)
• Add the soaked and fluffed up avalakki and sugar to the pan and give it a good mix. 

• If it looks very dry, sprinkle a Tbsp or two of water on top, cover and let it cook on very low heat for 2-3 mins. 
• Open, give a stir, add the lemon juice and switch off. 
• Serve topped with cilantro and grated coconut and some sev mixture if you are eating this in the evening or have it with a dollop of fresh yogurt if you are breaking your fast. It tastes divine either way. 

Notes: 

• ** Do not use the thin or paper avalakki in this recipe, the soaking and cooking will turn it into a textureless mush. I use what is called as 'medium' avalakki here which fluffs up in under 5 minutes. Use this or the thick variety. 
• If you use the thick variety, it will need longer soaking time. Wash and soak in water just a millimeter above the avalakki. Once it fluffs up (about 10-12mins), squeeze out handfuls and remove excess water. 

• If you make the masala paste too watery, it takes time to evaporate the water and the extra cooking time also dilutes the nutrients. So make the paste as thick as possible with your blender. 
• If you like peanuts, add a few when you roast the mustard and dals

Avalakki(Poha) Vaggarane - orange, yellow, pink, green and black, what other colors can you spot in this delicious comfort of food?

The other day I was making a list of dishes I would like to post on the blog in the next couple of months (yes, I am organized, and no, it is not a new year resolution :-)) and I noticed that it was only made of special items or things I would prepare on occasion. I guess I was thinking that nobody really cares about the every day preparations unless there is something to make them stand out or in other words there is a 'twis(h)t to the story' :-). It is probably true, with hundreds or even thousands of food blogs, cookery shows and cook books, things tend to get repetitive from one source to the other especially with common items and it takes every blogger constant effort to keep things fresh and unique. But then there are some things that should not need to change, these are some of the comfort foods in every kitchen and every day food is needed well, every day. I reach out to my container of poha in the morning when I am running short on time and do not have any ready batter or bread lying around in the kitchen or too bored to eat the cereals and oats yet again in the morning. It takes no more than 20 minutes from start to finish and is a perfect way to start the day especially with a bowl of home made yogurt, fits snugly into lunch boxes without any hazard of spills and tastes divine even after it is cold. Any other requirements to be satisfied before you can feature it in your kitchen? I didn't think so :-)

While this avalakki vaggarane shows up atleast once in 2 weeks in my home, I was still hesitant to put it on the blog. Then something happened very recently (infact twice) to make me feel confident that it truly deserves a place on the blog. A friend of BH was staying with us over Christmas Holidays and when I made this for one of the breakfasts as they were heading out for a boys day out, our guest casually mentioned that we (in US) seem to get better quality poha/beaten rice than at Pune (where he came from). This was a very unexpected remark, I know the exported goods are sometimes better but what can make poha better here than Pune? And I have read and heard from everybody around me that Pune/Maharastra is known for its Poha dishes, so slightly intrigued, I asked him what he meant by that. He said the texture of the poha was very nice and the dish tasted very yummy. Now you can definitely pass this off as my polite guest's polite compliment and not attach any more significance to that simple statement but it was his 2nd day at home and I was actually wondering about my cooking skills since he was hardly eating anything remotely sufficient for a grown man since he landed. Both him and BH who has known him for a long time kept telling me that it was not the food but his normal eating habits. With that background, on the day I made this poha, he had 3 servings and enjoyed them :-). So I am convinced that it was not just a polite compliment of a guest. And further conversation made it clear that he thought the texture of the poha itself was unlike any he gets in Pune (BTW, he cooks regularly at home) and then I told him I made it so by powdering the store bought poha.

Then the next week, we had a family friend and wife visiting from Far East and as their stay was short, I made this poha again before they left for the airport. The couple relished it genuinely and made me feel all warm and fuzzy :-).

Buoyed by these two unexpected compliments, I thought this poha recipe of mine had definite potential on the blog, so here it is..Food can't get any simpler, satisfying or more delicious than this dish.

There are multiple versions of the poha - some with onion, some with potatoes, some with carrots, some a combination of 2 or more of these, and .... So I thought instead of writing a different post for each of those variations, I would give it to you one single "all in one" post as a reference for you to pick and choose from or make your own delicious combinations. I will also point out to my favorite ones so you know which ones to try first :-).

Although I make this dish by directly soaking the store bought poha/beaten rice in water, most days I run it in my mixer to make a rough or coarse rava kind of consistency before soaking it. This is the only way nammamma makes this dish and I love the texture and taste of it. It hardly takes 2-3 additional minutes and is compensated in the soaking time as the powdered poha soaks quicker than the whole and is very well worth the time and effort. But if you do want to skip that step, you can still follow the rest of the recipe and the variations to make a delightful seasoned poha.

What do you need to make Avalakki vaggarane? 
(This is how I made it the day I took the pictures, look at the variations given below for other equally yummy versions)
2 cups think poha/avalakki
2 Tblsp oil
1 Tsp mustard seeds
1 Tblsp chana dal
1 Tsp Urad dal
3-4 curry leaves
2-3 green chilies
1/2 inch ginger root
2 Tblsp finely chopped onion
2 Tblsp finely chopped carrots
1 Tblsp finely chopped cilantro
1 Tblsp grated/shredded coconut (fresh or frozen)
1/2 Tsp sugar (optional but recommended)
1 Tsp lemon/lime juice (optional)
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)

How do you make Avalakki Vaggarane? 

• Add the thick poha into your mixer jar and make a upma rava consistency by pulsing the mixer a few times. 
• Take the ground poha into a wide bowl and run water on it and immediately drain the water out. 
• Let the wet poha stand for 5 minutes (while you are preparing the seasoning) for it to soak up the water. 
• In the mean time, heat a wide pan and add oil to it. 
• Add mustard and the dals into the oil and let them come to a sizzle along with the oil (slow roasting of dals gives them the crunch and they stay that way even after you add the soaked poha). 
• Once mustard starts to pop, add chopped green chilies, finely chopped ginger and curry leaves and let them roast for 30 seconds. 
• Add the finely chopped onion and saute for a minute. 
• Add the chopped carrots, salt, turmeric powder and saute for 2-3 minutes until carrots becomes slightly soft and onions are cooked. This time is entirely dependent on the size of your vegetables, heat from the stove and your preference for crunchy or soft bites. 

• While the veggies are cooking, fluff up the soaked poha as it would have become one big tight mass (unless you over watered it :-)). break the lumps and make sure it looks completely fluffy. 
• Pour the fluffed poha into the pan, add chopped cilantro, shredded coconut and give a good mix. 
• Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat until the poha just warms up, remember there is no cooking of poha required. 
• Open the cover, switch off the stove, add lemon juice if using and serve warm or cold with a bowl of thick yogurt on the side. 

Notes: 

• Unlike the whole poha, soaking the ground poha is a little tricky, excess water will make it soggy, so err on the side of using less water and you can sprinkle some later if the poha looks very dry. 
• Mixer/blender wisdom: When grinding poha in the mixer, make sure you have added enough quantity to just cover the blades, if the amount is too less, it doesn't grind well and if it too much, it tends to make a powder. 
• If you are using whole poha, squeeze handfuls of it to remove all excess water before adding it to the seasoning. 
• You can finely chop green chilies if you like it spicier or leave them as big pieces that can be lifted out of the plate easily if someone is not friendly with the heat. 
• I sometimes use grated carrots instead of finely chopped ones, this changes the bite and texture but you can try it for a change. 

Variations:

1. Nammamma makes a very basic version - no oinions, no ginger and adds 1/2 Tsp sugar along with the fluffed up poha and ofcourse one and half times the quantity of coconut I gave here and it tastes divine. 
2. Cube and parboil potatoes (1 medium potato is good for this quantity) and add it along with onions to saute and crisp a little. This makes it kanda-batata poha (onion-potato). 
3. Bell peppers of different colors finely chopped make excellent flavor agents in this poha. Use them along with onions & carrots or without them. 
4. Green peas, fresh or frozen, boiled to tender and added not only gives a splash of color but also some protein boost. 
5. Add peanuts while roasting the dals to add some crunch to the poha. 
6. Add cooked garbanzo beans (chole) to upp the proteins. 
7. A restaurant version of this humble homely dish is generally served with a squeeze of lemon/lime and sprinkled with a spoon of sev (deep fried lentil sticks) or boondi on top. Looks pretty if you want to try it. 

Chivda/chiwda - Low calorie deliciousness in under 15 minutes

My train is always late, well it is just post event :-). While all my fellow bloggers have moved on from Diwali festivities, here I am still writing about my preparations for the festival of lights. In any case, it is better late than never. As promised I bring you a yummy savory snack that is highly customizable and gets done in a jiffy, it is good to sit and munch all by yourself or pack some and share it with friends. Chivda made with paper thin poha - crunchy, spicy and aromatic for Deepavali.

Chikki and Chivda, what do they have in common, lots if you ask me. For starters both begin with the same alphabet, both are delicious, both are low maintenance when it comes to preparations and both can be relatively low calorie compared to many Indian festive goodies. Now let us make this discussion a little bit narrow and I will talk about Lonavala chikki & Laxminarayan chivda - do those names ring a bell? For me, first & foremost, the sound of those words are the ultimate cue to drool helplessly and reminisce the good, old days :-). The first time I travelled by myself to Bombay, I took the train from Bengaluru which went on & on for 24 hours making my head go woozy even after I stepped out on the platform. Nammamma had packed puliyogare, curd rice for me to eat on my journey which never got opened because I was way too shy to eat infront of a compartment full of strangers, weird huh? Life teaches you lessons and makes you grow more mature and now I can eat anywhere when I am hungry :-). My cousin and her husband gave me an earful for disrespecting mom's food by not consuming it and starving for 24 hours, devoured the yummy puliyogare from the packet and fed me hot dinner. So when I headed back, she made 3 chapatis and rolled them with potato subji with a strong word of discipline that I better eat it before I reached home or I would face consequences. She definitely sounded much more stricter than my mom, so I gobbled up the food when nobody was looking at me(and I realized in the process no one was watching me anyway) in the train.

The other thing my Bombay smart cousin told me was to grab a couple of packets of Lonavala chikki(brown sugar brittles made from different nuts, sesame seeds etc) when the train stops at the hilly town. She described the yumminess of these chikkis in such detail that I would have jumped off the train to get some of those Lonavala special chikkis. In the brief time the train made a stop, I did pick up a couple of varieties of the chikki which everyone enjoyed at home though I later came to understand was not the greatest of the Lonavala offerings and you had to go into specific bylanes to get the best of the goods. So after a couple of years, when my colleagues from Bombay area went home for vacations, I knew exactly what to ask them to bring back for me :-). A more generous friend brought me a bag of spicy-sweet Chivda along with the chikkis as she knew I favored spicy treats over the sweet ones. One spoon of that Chiwda mix and I was totally hooked. Thus began a search for a recipe that would replicate that taste. Laxminarayan Chiwda is a very famous snack from Pune, now available almost world over. Although my loyalty for the brand has worn off as I make them at home very often and customize in multiple different ways, it is one of those first love stories I fondly remember. And I make some good chikkis at home too but let us continue on that thread on another day, so this post doesn't become too long and boring..

Growing up, Chivda was not something nammamma made at home, I was more used to the Avalakki puri (puffed rice made from poha) mixture than the Chivda which is totally yummy too. I had eaten a North Karnataka version of this in one of the relatives wedding where the bride came from that region. I remember having pestered my akka to get me the recipe even before they had time to welcome the bride home and make acquaintance with her :-). The masala powder (Coriander + cumin + saunf) adds a wonderful fragrance to every bite of the mixture, you can play around with the proportions a little bit if you favor one of them over the others.

Here is my low calorie snack for Deepavali, just get the ingredients together and you will be done in no time, it lasts for a while without getting spoilt (make sure you use good quality dry coconut as it will go rancid otherwise and spoil the entire thing) so you can have an extended taste of Deepavali.

What do you need to make chivda?
10 cups thin poha/paper avalakki (1Lb)
Roast & powder:
1 Tblsp dhania/coriander seeds
1.5 Tblsp saunf/fennel seeds
1 Tblsp jeera/cumin
Seasoning:
3/4 cup oil
12-15 green chilies
1 Tblsp mustard
3/4 cup peanuts
3/4 cup fried gram/kadle/chutney dal
3/4 cup kobbari/dry coconut slices
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cashew nuts (optional, I didn't use it)
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tblsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp sugar (optional but recommended)
10-12 curry leaves

How do you make chivda?

• Tear the curry leaves from the stem, keep aside.
• Remove stems from the green chilies, slit vertically and cut into 2-3 pieces depending on the size.
• You can either grate (biggest holes on your grater) or chop the dry coconut into thin slices. We like the texture of the pieces and I cut them up.
• Gather all the remaining ingredients and keep them ready.
• Toast Dhania, cumin and saunf seeds together in a small pan for 2 minutes, they just need to get warm, take them to a spice blender and make a fine powder.
• Take a heavy bottom, wide pan and heat it on medium heat for a minute.
• Add the oil, followed by mustard seeds, give a minute of head start to mustard, add the peanuts and green chilies. Let it all roast for 1.5-2 minutes.

• As the mustard starts to splutter add peanuts turn a shade darker, add the kadle/fried gram and kobbari slices.
• Keep moving the contents around in the hot oil with a spatula and let them roast for 2-3 minutes. Keep the heat on medium.
• When peanuts look crunchy and the kobbari slices develop a light brown hue, add the raisins, turmeric powder, salt and the powdered masala mix.

• Reduce the heat to minimum, add the thin poha and sugar (if using) and stir it all in to coat the poha with the seasoning.
• Adjust salt if needed. Keep the heat to the lowest and with frequent stirring to prevent any browning at the bottom, roast the poha for another 15-20 minutes or until it crisps up and gets lightly glossy.
• Let it come to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.  

Notes:

• Green chilies need to be blistered and crunchy, this reduces their spice level but gives you an option to break them into the Chivda if you like your portion spicier. If you leave the chilies soft, it will soften up the chivda with its moisture content and makes it chewy.
• Since I make this often at home, I have achieved a synchronous balance of when to add each ingredient into the seasoning without over/under cooking any of them. If this sounds daunting to you, you may want to roast each of the ingredient sepearately and bring them together on heat before adding the poha.
• Packaged poha can sometimes have a faint smell, open the packet and spread it out in a single layer and keep it in a sunny spot for an hour or so before using it.
• It is important to keep the pan on low heat once you add the poha, high heat makes the poha flakes curl up. If you live in a hot climate, sun dry the poha until it crisps up for best taste.

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. 

Gojjavalakki - Spiced tamarind poha

Since we missed our Ugadi earlier this year, we did a weekend celebration of Sri Rama Navami yesterday. Sri Rama navami is celebrating the birth of Lord Rama and since the climate would have already turned hot in most parts of India, the usual items made on this day are kosambari & paanaka (lemonade or seasonal fruit juices) or flavored buttermilk (called vaggarane majjige in Kannada). The idea is to keep it light and cool to suit the weather. I made this easy gojjavalakki which does not need any elaborate cooking and some flavored buttermilk.

Gojjavalakki also called huliavalakki is a tangy, spicy, aromatic dish made with avalakki or poha that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner :-). Paired with yogurt, this makes a full meal and keeps you full for a long time. Gojjavalakki is a very popular recipe among Mysore Kannadigas. If I were to compare this with anything else known, I would say it is similar to the tamarind rice but made with avalakki or poha/beaten rice. There are a few variations from family to family based on the individual preference for flavors. I follow nammamma's recipe faithfully and what I like about it is the addition of the freshly roasted and ground spices that elevates this dish. I will show you where you can stop alternatively if you are in a hurry or do not want to take the trouble of roasting and grinding the spice powder but I strongly recommend you try the full blown version as it is really very simple and easy to make.

Nammamma had planted some turmeric bulbs once in the yard and I am not sure if it was the soil or her tender care, the plant grew gigantically and we had turmeric leaves the size of a banana leaf. Fresh turmeric leaves are very aromatic and since we didn't know how else to use those beautiful leaves, she used to harvest them and cut them into 2 or 3 pieces and serve snacks on them. When anything hot touched those leaves, the aroma of fresh turmeric was almost intoxicating and it made everything put on it taste yummy, you would end up eating seconds and more of whatever was served :-). One such dish I remember eating on the turmeric leaves is this gojjavalakki. Then one of her Udipi friends discovered this coveted leaves in our yard and we came to know about the delicious patholi or kadubu in which turmeic leaves are used to wrap the batter. But the plant had spread so much in the yard by then, we were left with many leaves even when the neighbor picked them periodically for her patholi. By the way, I ate this patholi after a long time made by my friend S's mom last Summer and it was as delicious as I remembered, it is on my list of things to make and I will share the recipe with you when I do get to it.

I should have posted this recipe a long time ago given how much we enjoy eating it at home and how frequently it gets made in my kitchen. But I usually make this in large scale as it stays good and well suited for travels (no hassle of liquid spilling, no need to reheat or you needing anything else to accompany it) and really wanted to give measurements for a person attempting it for the first time too. And then there was obviously the photography to be kept in mind :-). I call this a 'no fuss' recipe and usually make these on the days I am pressed for time and will not stop to do justice with the pictures. Anyways, everything seemed to come together yesterday and here I am with a very well tested and tasted recipe from nammamma's kitchen. we ate this for breakfast, went and walked a 5K, came back and had it for lunch with yogurt :-)

Couple of things to keep in mind is to get the right kind of avalakki/poha. I have seen many 'thick' variety avalakkis, some labelled medium thick, extra thick and thick. I like the medium thick variety as it fluffs up nicely and also soaks quickly. You can use the extra thick variety, make sure to adjust the water and also let it soak longer for it to absorb the liquid. But never use thin or nylon avalakki used in chiwda as it tends to clump up upon soaking rendering it unsuitable for gojjavalakki. When done and ready to eat, the texture of gojjavalakki should be crumbly without being dry. For all my many friends who have tasted this in my kitchen and loved it, here is the recipe to make it your own too.

Humble offering of Gojjavalakki & majjige for Sri Rama Navami

What do you need to make Gojjavalakki?
Feeds 4 people for a meal
5 cups thick avalakki/poha
1 Tblsp crushed jaggery (use brown sugar as an 'ok' alternative)
1 Tblsp salt
1/4 Tsp turmeric
1/2 Tsp red chili powder/rasam powder
1 medium lemon sized tamarind - soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
To roast:
1 Tblsp chana dal/kadle bele
1/2 Tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp coriander seeds
3/4 Tsp black pepper
3-4 red chilies (adjust to taste)
1 Tblsp white sesame seeds
2 Tblsp grated dry coconut (kobbari) + little for garnish
For Seasoning:
2 Tblsp oil
1 Tsp mustard seeds
1/4 Tsp asafoetida
1 Tblsp chana dal
1 Tsp urad dal
2 Tblsp peanuts
8-10 curry leaves
1-2 red chilies (optional)

How do you make Gojjavalakki? 

• Take 1-2 cups of avalakki at a time(depending on the size of your grinder vessel) and pulse it to make a coarse powder. The grains should be slightly bigger than upma rava/sooji. 

• Soak tamarind in warm water for about 30 minutes and extract juice adding water to make about 1 cup of tamarind extract. 
• Wash the powdered avalakki in running water once so it is completely soaked, add the tamarind extract, salt, turmeric, crushed/grated jaggery, rasam powder or red chili powder. 

• Mix it together with very light fingers and keep it aside for about 30 minutes or until the poha soaks up all the liquids. If it looks very dry, sprinkle a couple Tblsp water on top. 

• Heat a thick bottom pan and add the ingredients under 'To roast' starting with chana dal, give it a head start of 30 seconds, add fenugreek seeds, let them roast for 30 seconds together, add cumin, coriander seeds, pepper and red chilies. Let them fry for the next minute before adding sesame seeds. By this time the chana dal would be turning light pink and fenugreek would change color too. Continue to roast all the ingredients stirring once or twice for the next minute or so until the dal is light brown and sesame seeds start to pop. Add the grated dry coconut, mix everything together and switch off. Let it cool down. 

• Take the cooled roasted ingredients to a coffee grinder and make a dry powder. 
• Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida and let it sizzle, add the remaining ingredients under 'For Seasoning' and fry until mustard pops and peanuts turn crispy. 

• Once the poha has rested for 30 minutes, fluff it up with a fork and add the ground spice powder and the seasoning, mix well. 
• Enjoy the gojjavalakki plain or with some home made yogurt. 

Notes: 

• If you have a really flavorful rasam powder, you can skip the spice powder and just season the poha once it has soaked up the liquids. Garnish with some grated dry coconut and add a Tsp of sesame seeds in to the seasoning for extra crunch.
• Texture of poha should be like coarse rava to get the right consistency of gojjavalakki without it becoming too lumpy or too dry. 
• If you are unsure, err on the side of less water when you soak the poha, this can be remedied by sprinkling a little bit more water before adding the spice powder and seasoning. 
• Do not let the water+tamarind juice stand above poha layer as this will definitely be in excess of what can get absorbed and will result in lumpy gojjavalakki. 
• Gojjavalakki is a blend of sweet, hot, sour tastes, adjust according to your preference. 
• Gojjavalakki stays good for 2 days outside (moderate temperature) and stays good for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. 

Mosaravalakki - creamy yogurt poha to celebrate the birth of baby Krishna

There was once a small kid named Gopal who lived in a village with his widowed mother, they were poor and hardly made ends meet with the mother's meager earnings. When Gopal grew up to be old enough to go to school, his mother had one of the neighboring village teacher take him as a student in his school. Gopal had to walk through dense forests to reach his teacher's house every day, as his mother couldn't leave work and go with him, the little boy had to walk all alone. When he returned home the first day he was tired and completely scared. He didn't want to go back to school because of the long walk in the dark forests and his mother told him to call out to Krishna and said he was Gopal's elder brother who lived in the forest. The next day Gopal came back home and excitedly explained to his mother that his brother Krishna had come and walked with him until the edge of the forest, the mother was completely flabbergasted. This continued for the entire school year and Gopal was a happy child learning well at his school.

As the school year came to an end, the teacher organized a lunch for the students and told them to bring something special from home to share with all their friends. When Gopal asked his mother, the poor lady was very sad as she had nothing to send with him, so in order to pacify the crying boy she told him to ask his brother for something. Gopal went on his way, met his brother in the forest just like everyday and told him about the school lunch. The elder brother went inside the forest and came back with a small covered pot. Gopal went merrily to the school and gave it to his teacher. The teacher looked at the small pot and realized it wasn't going to be sufficient even for a couple of boys let alone the entire school but didn't say anything to the child. When everyone sat down for lunch, the teacher opened the pot and found thick, creamy, sweet smelling yogurt inside. He wanted to distribute atleast a drop of it to each kid and started spooning it out to another dish with the intention of thinning it down by adding water. But to his utter surprise he found that the small pot never seemed to become empty. He had his wife bring huge containers and as they went on filling those containers, the little pot was still full seeming to smile divinely at them. Everyone had their fill with the yummy tasting yogurt and thanked little Gopal.

This is a story from my childhood favorite Amar Chitra Katha comic books. I have told this to my daughter countless number of times. For me Krishna is synonymous with avalakki (beaten rice or poha) and mosaru(yogurt). Mosaravalakki is thick yogurt mixed with paper thin avalakki and garnished with seasoning. This was one of the treasured childhood snacks. One of my doddamma's (mom's older sister) didn't eat rice in the night and most days this would be her dinner and mosaravalakki is always distributed to everyone and never eaten alone. We used to sit expectantly and patiently in the kitchen until she mixed it well and dropped big dollops of the creamy mosaravalakki into our palms, I used to lick slowly and try to extend the moment of bliss for as long as I could :-).

Today is celebrated as Gokulashtami (Gokula~ Lord Krishna's Childhood home, Ashtami~Eighth day of the calendar) or Krishnashtami all over India to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. I made the mosaravalakki as an offering to the God.

I pack this in place of regular yogurt rice for a change when we go on our trips, it stays well. Just carry extra yogurt to mix in before eating.

What do you need to make Mosaravalakki? 
4-5 cups thick yogurt (preferably homemade)
1 cup paper thin avalakki/beaten rice
1 Tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 Tsp sugar
Seasoning:
1 Tblsp oil
1 Tsp mustard
1 Tsp chana dal/kadle bele
1/2 Tsp urad dal/uddina bele
2 green chilies - chopped small
4-6 curry leaves
1/2 inch piece of ginger root - peeled and chopped into thin julienes

How do you make Mosaravalakki? 

• Take avalakki in a bowl and wash it under running water once and drain the water. 
• Whisk the yogurt, add salt, sugar and the washed avalakki and mix well.
• Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients under seasoning and let mustard pop and dals turn pink. 
• Pour the sizzling seasoning on top of the mixed mosaravalakki and mix it in. 

• Share and enjoy this simple yet unbeatable tasty dish.

Notes:

• Do not skimp on the yogurt, good yogurt takes this dish to its next level, remember it is mosaravalakki and takes lot of yogurt to get the creamy texture.
• If you do not have home made yogurt, use plain store bought yogurt.
• Use only the extra thin or paper thin avalakki in this recipe, the thinker varieties change the texture.
• It is sufficient to just wash the avalakki once in running water for it to become soft.
• While making the seasoning, make sure the chili pieces turn light brown. If you do not like spicy food, reduce/skip green chilies.
• You can add cashew nuts to the seasoning and roast it until they turn pink for a richer flavor, I kept it simple.
• You can add chopped cilantro instead of curry leaves and asafoetida instead of ginger for different flavors.
• The yogurt gets absorbed if you keep it longer, add more yogurt and mix it to bring the right consistency.