Atukula Pulihora(Aval Puliyodharai)

Even though the recipe may sound very simple, it is very easy to mess up. For a great tasting dish, soak aval/poha with the right amount of tamarind extract so that the flakes are fluffy and separate and not soggy. My mom makes the best Aval upma! We make it frequently at home. Aval puliyodharai is slightly different from Aval upma. I came across this recipe in some blog and tried it. It's a super quick brunch or tiffin item that can be made in 10 minutes flat!

Ingredients:
Aval/Poha/Atukula/Beaten Rice-2 cups
Tamarind-small lime size ball
Salt
Hing-1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Seasoning:
Oil-2 tbsp
Curry leaves-a few
Broken Red Chillis-3-4
Mustard Seeds-1 tsp
Urud dal-1/2 tsp



Method:
Soak tamarind in 3/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes and extract thick juice. Discard the tamarind.
Now soak aval in tamarind extract for 10 minutes or until it absorbs all the liquid and the flakes become soft, fluffy and separate.
Meanwhile heat oil in a wide pan. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing, red chillies, urud dal, turmeric powder. When mustard seeds crackle, add poha. Sprinkle salt.
Gently toss everything together without mashing poha. Fry for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

Note: Any dish made using poha should be consumed when hot. 

This recipe being so simple and easy, let me add it to my own event-Cooking Basics! For details, click the logo on the side bar.

Due to time constraints, I have not been regularly commenting on some of your blogs these days. I apologize for the same. I will try to catch up with your recipes whenever I can.

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers :)

Chivda-Crispy Poha flavored with spices

Chivda is a Maharashtrian snack made of poha(aval) and spices. I added a few more ingredients to my liking. You can increase or decrease the quantity of each ingredient to suit your taste.

Ingredients:
Poha(thick or thin)-1 cup
Instant Oats(optional)-1/2 cup
Corn flakes-1 cup
Dried coconut flakes-1 tbsp
Oil-1 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Chilli powder-as per taste
Salt
Sugar- a pinch
Curry leaves- a few sprigs
Dry roasted slivered almonds(optional)-1 tbsp
Dry roasted peanuts-1 tbsp
Hing- a pinch

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add curry leaves, turmeric powder, chilli powder, hing. Immediately add poha. Roast on low flame for 5 minutes or until crisp. When it turns crispy(it will still be white in color during this stage), add corn flakes, oats, coconut flakes, salt, sugar, almonds and peanuts. Stir for 1 more minute and turn off the heat. Transfer the mixture to a container. Allow it to cool completely. Then store it in an air-tight container.

Note:Oats get roasted very quickly. So add it after roasting poha well.
Roasted oats give a nice aroma. So I like adding it to the mixture.

Poha(Aval) soaked in milk-in black & white?

Are you hungry and looking for a quick fix snack? Try this recipe. I have been eating this quite often ever since I saw the recipe in creative saga's blog! It hardly takes 5 minutes to prepare.
So here is the recipe..

Ingredients:
Poha-1 cup(thin variety)
Warm Milk-1/2 to 3/4 cup depending on the consistency
Almonds-5
Walnuts or Cashews-4
Sugar-2 tsp(or according to taste)
Cardamom-a pinch
Saffron(optional)-a few strands

Method:
Wash poha in water and drain. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Powder the nuts.
When poha becomes soft, add warm milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron and ground nuts. Mix well and serve.

Easy and healthy isn't it?