Kalasida Avalakki

In general it would be easy for our friends to assume that I might have picked up traditional dishes from Managalore - Udupi cuisine having been married to a Mangalorean for 30+ years. Even more so because I have spent a good few years living with his parents. Sadly, that is not to be. On the contrary, they had adapted to living in Coimbatore and other than an occasional neer dosa and shavige, on special weekends, I had not known traditional fare in that household.
We were at our friends' place one evening when she had made this for tea and while serving mentioned that it may not be new to us and both my husband and myself would have had it many times. I did not even recognize the name of the dish, even when they gave other names by which people call it. Mangalore masala avalakki, avalakki oggarane, and so on....nope none of which I had heard of. My husband went on to discuss how it used to be a teatime snack in his office in Mangalore and I still drew a blank. However, it was one very tasty snack and I loved the crunch with so little oil added in the snack. My friend showed me how thin is paper avalakki and told me to find them in Bangalore where most stores stock them.
I bought some red paper poha online and brought it here. I messaged her to share the recipe. In a few minutes my phone notified me with her message and that very evening, as luck would have it, having all the ingredients I tried the recipe. We enjoyed it and I promised myself that I need to post the recipe here, for my repository.

 

I looked up for more information on this dish and found that in the Udupi region it is called Bajil and mostly paired with sajjige as a filling breakfast during weddings and ceremonies. When I read out bajil, my husband said that he vaguely remembered that his father would mention it but he had never tasted the combination.
It is a quick and easy recipe to make. The sweet and spice flavours mingle so well that one cannot resist picking just about a spoon more and more. Keeping the recipe basic, one can find ideas to serve this dish.

Kalasida Avalakki
Recipe by my friend Ms. Lalitha Burde

Ingredients:
For 4 to 5 servings
2 cups Paper thin poha/ aval /beaten rice flakes
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
 4-5 dry red chillis that are low - medium in spice level (Byadagi or Kashmiri chillis)
Salt to taste
Jaggery powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 &1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons urad dhal
Few curry leaves
2 - 3 tablespoons fresh grated coconut

Method:
Dry roast the coriander seeds, two of the dry red chillis, few of the curry leaves until aromatic. Crush coarsely and reserve.
heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, allow them to crackle.
Add the peanuts and toss around so they are roasted to a crunch.
Add to these the urad dhal and allow it to brown until they are golden.
Quickly add the rest of the red chillis (broken in small bits), curry leaves, turmeric, asafoetida and salt.
Add the crushed coriander mix.
Toss them for a couple of minutes more and switch off the heat.
Transfer this to a serving bowl and add the coconut and jaggery powder. Mix with your hand slightly crushing them so the flavours combine.
Put in the paper avalakki and sprinkle some water. Bring them all together so the spices coat the avalakki while not crushing hard. Adjust the water, salt and jaggery according to taste.
Serve this with hot tea.

This dish stays fresh for another day also at room temperature. If you find it too dry by then, Sprinkle some water and heat just a bit in a microwave.
A very delicious snack to go with tea is ready with just about ingredients from your pantry.
You may sprinkle mint chutney  and top with some sev or pretty much serve like bhel.

Spiced Carrots and Raisins Salad

I said earlier too that I like salads, in fact, I am very fond of them. However, I am not fond of those leafy vegetables in them. I am willing to try any salad that looks colourful and has some interesting dressing. I try making them in different combinations of vegetables, fruits, sprouts and nuts. Likewise, i have found that different dressings are very good too. If you like vegetables with a bit of raw crunch, the options are innumerable.
Around the time that my daughter was suggesting different salads, I found one carrot salad to which raisins were added and the dressing was simple ginger infused honey. That sounded like a good one to have for my mid morning snack.

I made the carrot salad, but, with more vegetables and toasted sesame seeds added. I made a dressing that gave the salad an extra texture with the mint yoghurt dressing along with the honey and ginger. That was one colourful and flavourful platter of vegetables and the toasted sesame added to the flavour.

Spiced Carrot and Raisins Salad

Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the salad:
2 Carrots julienned
2 tablespoons golden raisins (those have a slight sour taste)
8-10 cherry tomatoes halved
10 green grapes skin and seed  removed and halved
Few fresh basil leaves torn in bits
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons thick yoghurt
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon dry mint leaves crushed
1" piece ginger crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger extract

Method:
For the dressing:
Whisk the yoghurt well with honey and ginger extract.
Add the crushed mint leaves and the ginger.

For the salad:
Assemble in a salad bowl the vegetables and the grapes, toss the raisins in.
Sprinkle the sesame seeds and drop the torn basil leaves.

Toss the dressing to incorporate.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.
No Croutons Required is an event that is hosted alternately by Lisa and Jacqueline every month. This August Edition is held at Tinned Tomatoes. My salad is being sent to the same.