Puli Aval/Avil (Tamarind Poha/pressed rice)

 

This is a signature dish of my mom-in-law and heard from my husband that it is a Bangalore/Karnataka recipe. Well, it is quite unique in its spice combination and quite easy to make for a snack or a breakfast item. The thing that is different from other Puli Aval recipes is that the Poha is ground and looks more like Upma. My folks at work couldn't guess what it was made with.. they all thought it was made with Bajra grains! 

Puli Aval/Avil (Courtesy: Padma Boovaraghavan)
Ingredients
Ground Aval (Poha) - 2 cups (Grind the poha into a coarse powder in blender)
Tamarind juice -  2 cups (you can use fresh tamarind pulp or tamarind paste)
Peanuts- 1/2 cup (roasted)
Curry Leaves - 4-5
Black gram (Urad dal) - 1 tbsp
Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - `1 tbsp
Refined oil - 2 Tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp 
Red Chillies - 2-3
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - As needed
Rasam powder - 2-3 tsp (Recipe given in below blog)
http://servantlesscooking.blogspot.in/2013/07/poosanikai-mor-kuzhambu-ash-gourd.html


Directions
Grind the poha in a blender into coarse powder. Squeeze the tamarind pulp into 2 cups warm water (1 tennis ball size pulp) or 3-4 tbsp of tamarind paste. Paste varies in its sourness, so the bench mark is to taste the juice and adjusts the taste to one's pallet (like salt). It should not be too sour.

Add the ground poha into the tamarind juice, along with salt and rasam powder. Mix well so it soaks well into the poha. At the same time, take a pan, heat the oil, add the black gram, bengal gram and mustard seeds. Once the seeds sputter, add the curry leaves and red chillies broken into two halves along with curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the roasted peanuts in the end and saute for 1-2 min.

Add the soaked poha into the pan and mix the flavorful, roasted condiments with the poha. Keep the heat at low and mix for 2-3 min. In a separate pan, dry roast the sesame seeds and cumin and grind them together to garnish from the top. Serve hot ...

The dish has the tangyness from the tamarind and has an Upma feel (not like a typical Poha dish). The uniqueness is that it is made quickly with no cooking, the poha gets cooked when soaked in tamarind juice (warm water). My mom in law, pours the hot oil with condiments into the soaked poha and mixes it without cooking the entire mix.

Tips: To make the dish not lumpy, don't soak the poha for too long in tamarind juice and could add more oil. 

Enjoy!

Kanda Poha (Pune delicacy)

I used to make Kanda (onion) Poha (flattened rice or Avil) since I started cooking in Hyderabad and US the way my mom taught me for many years but never really mastered the art until I came to Pune. My daughters eat Poha regualarly as an evening snack in their daycare and love it. It was Sindhu who enthused me to learn it well, as she complained that I never make Poha which is her favorite snack! So, I was determined to learn this dish from a Pune expert- none other than my Bai (Maid Servant) :)

Since I like to be Servantless, I decided to learn it diligently from her so I can please my daughter. Anybody can make Poha as it is one of the easiest snack one can make. However, the art is in the soaking time and method of making it that makes it a signature dish for anyone.

Poha or Avil is actually a poor man's diet. In Indian mythology, Lord Krishna's friend Sudama carried a handful of Poha to his friend as gift as that is all he had. Krishna in return ate that up and the entire Universe was satiated. For Krishna, Avil is his favorite food and we offer it with Butter during Krishna jayanthi (Krishna's birthday). In Guruvayoor (Krishna) temple, you will find Lord Krishna holding his palm with Avil in his hands. So, in other words, today you will learn how to cook God's food:)

Take 300 g of thick Poha. You get thick and thin variety in any Indian store. Buy the thick flattened rice. Dice 1 onion and 2-3 green chilli (as per your heat level - the more the merrier), 100 g of peanuts, 6 tbsp of refined oil, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp mustard seeds, salt to taste, 1 half of a lemon, coriander leaves, curry leaves to garnish.

Take the Poha and rinse it well in water. Decant or remove the entire water using a strainer and keep it aside. Ensure that all water is removed, otherwise, it will absorb the water and become a paste (this is important to note).

Take oil in a pan, and add the peanuts - sautee until golden brown and remove them into separate plate. Add mustard seeds into same oil and wait until they sputter. Add curry leaves and green chillies, once they brown (within seconds) add the diced onions and sautee until golden brown. Add the salt and turmeric and the peanuts into the onions and mix well. You can add peas, cooked potatoes, tomatoes, green bell peppers if you would like into this mix for variety.

The order of addition of the above ingredients is very important for the right flavor. I used to add salt and turmeric way in the beginning with the mustard seeds even before they pop, and it doesn't bring out the right flavor and taste.

Add the poha into the above mixture of vegetables and mix well until the entire dish turns yellow. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon and garnish on top with fresh green cilantro (coriander leaves) and serve hot.

In rainy days such as these, the best combination is hot Poha and flavored Indian tea... hmmm..
Enjoy !