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!

Memories of childhood

I'm on a diet, desperately needing to lose baby weight, so I have to stay away from sinful treats like Lay's wafer style chips (love the red chilli one, with boursin pepper to dip into). I've gone back to some tried and tested snacks that we all used to love as kids.

Every summer, my family would head down south to Bangalore, where my grandparents stay or Mysore, where my uncle and his family stayed. We kids had a wonderful time, despite my continuous attacks of asthma, getting up to all kinds of harmless mischief together. There was an old temple opposite my uncle's house with a banyan tree which had roots dangling nearly to the ground. We used to try and swing on those roots and go around the tree without touching the ground. In the evening, we used to climb up to the terrace (up a steeply sloping wall without a parapet - now I shudder at the very thought) and watch the sunset and the lights coming on at the Mysore Palace which was visible from the terrace. We could see hordes of terracotta-tiled roofs, and coconut trees waving their leaves in the breeze. One of our favourite snacks to enjoy up on the terrace was hacchida avalakki - made out of flattened rice.

Recipe for Hacchida avalakki
Ingredients:
2 cups avalakki (flattened rice/ poha)
1 onion, finely chopped
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
bunch coriander, finely minced
1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 tsps oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 red dried chillies
1 small bunch of curry leaves, washed and dried
salt to taste

1. Set the oil to heat in a large wok on medium heat
2. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop before adding the red chillies and curry leaves. Stir till the curry leaves are crisp, then add the flattened rice.
3. Keep stirring slowly till the poha crispens
4. Take it off the stove and mix all the other ingredients except the lemon juice
5. Taste to check the salt and then add the lemon juice and mix well
6. Serve immediately - it gets soggy if you let it sit around.