Friday, October 5, 2007

Childhood snack


I mentioned in an earlier post that many of my food memories center around summer holidays during childhood. One of the snacks that we loved the most was Hacchida Avalakki - something that I also began craving when I was expecting my son. I don't know whether it was because he had so much of it indirectly, but this is a favourite dish of my son's too.

Sometime that year, my cousins had come from Dharwad, and one of them had carried a delicious avalakki( poha/ flattened rice) snack which is ludicrously easy to make and low cal too. I often make it and store it during the summer, as it's light, quick to make and enjoyed by everyone.

Avalakki
2-3 cups flattened rice/ poha ( try to get the thinner variety)
1 cup shelled peanuts with the skin on
1 handful curry leaves
2 tsp black mustard seeds
5-6 byadgi chillies ( Karnataka chillies)
1/2 tsp asafoetida (heeng)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut cut into fine slivers
Salt to taste
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp oil

On a sunny day, spread the avalakki out on a clean paper and leave it out in the sun for 3-4 hours. It will get nice and crisp.
In a large bandley (wok), heat the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop.
Then add the turmeric, the asafoetida, the chillies and the curry leaves. Fry until the chillies and curry leaves are crisp.
Add the dessicated peanuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until the skin darkens and any exposed bits turn pale brown.
Add the coconut slivers and fry until they turn light brown.
Add in the avalakki, the salt and the pepper and stir to mix everything well.
Store in an airtight jar.
I love the smell of heeng so I tend to add more of it than I've mentioned.

Hacchida Avalakki
1 cup avalakki
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp oil
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped
Handful grated fresh coconut
1 cucumber, finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
Handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime ( or more, to taste)
Salt to taste

In a bandley, heat the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop.
Add the avalakki and stir briskly for a few minutes so it turns crisp, and turn off the heat.
Add all the other ingredients, lime juice last, and stir to mix well.
Serve immediately, and eat fast before it turns soggy!

10 comments:

Raks said...

Hi,
Me too like the flavour of hing...Will try it out some time!!I like your hacchida avalakki too..Its colourful..:))Thanx for the recipe!

sra said...

Hi, the picture looks wonderful - I never realised you needed just one tablespoon of oil, I've only seen deep-fried versions, you see :) And adding mustard seeds is a first, for me.

Timepass said...

Cool..Nice snack to munch on..

Tee said...

This is so addictive...my mom had to literally hide the dabba, otherwise my sister, me and my dad would finish the whole thing in one day :)

Pooja V said...

This is chivada for us..very muchy, crunchy n delicious.

remya said...

nice snack...looks cute.

Anonymous said...

This is my first time here. Loved the Avalakki. Tumba Channagidde! I have never used cucumber in Avalakki before. Gotta try.

Anonymous said...

Avalakki nanna fav kooda. That pic made me nostalgic for a while.

bird's eye view said...

Thanks Rak's kitchen and timepass, pooja and remya.

Sra - the sun roasts the thin type of poha very well, so no need for deep-frying.

tee - you're so right. I also love adding cold dahi to it and quickly munching through the contrast of flavours and textures.

Lakshmi and red chillies - it's so nice to catch up with kannadigas on the net. Despite living in India, since I live up north I hardly know any here!

Shella said...

Hey do you think popping the aval in the oven for sometime will also do the same trick?? It should - nahi???