Avalakki Dosa (Flattened Rice Dosa).

  Ready to Serve Avalakki Dosa

Avalakki is a Kannada word for flatten or beaten rice. There are 2 to 3 varieties of Avalakki. Thick, thin and medium sizes. In those days people used to prepare this Avalakki at home. It is a long process and now a days no one has patience and confidence also. Beaten rice is used in our cooking. Different varieties of food items can be cooked using beaten rice as main ingredient. LIke, Avalakki Upma, puliyogre (tangy spicy dish), tomato baat, uppugari, (with salt and sugar mixture), oggarane avalakki, with aloo and onions, even bisibele baat. Sweet preparations are like, unde, panchakajjaya, huggi, payasam and even halva etc.
Avalakki is known as Chuda in Oria, Atukulu in Telugu, Aval - Tamil and Malayalam. Chiura in Bihar and Jarkhand, Chira in Bengal and Assamese. Chiura in Marathi, Bhojpuri and Chandigarhi. Poha or Pauwa - Hindi, Phovu in Konkani Avalakki in Kannada and Pauua/Paunva in Gujarati.
Lets see some benefits of using Flattened Rice in our diet.
Flattened rice is good source of carbohydrates. It contain very low amount of gluten and it is very good for diabetics.They do not contain cholesterol and fat. They contain Iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium. They contain very less amount of sodium.
Here is a recipe of  "Avalakki Dosa ", it is easy to prepare. Raw rice, Avalakki, fresh coconut and curd is used for dosa. The ground dough needs to be ferment to get the good fluffy dosa.
You can also prepare Guli Appa ( Paddu, Kuli Appam , Kuli Paniyaram. Gundponglu) with the same dough. Using other ingredients and different creative ideas are according to your wish. (Using veggies on the top of Guli appa ).

Here is a recipe of Avalakki Dosa and I am sure all the members of the whole family will love to eat and enjoy this Dosa.

Things Needed :

Raw Rice : 2 Cup
Avalakki : 1 Cup ( I used thin sized Avalakki)
Coconut : 1 Cup
Curd : 1/2 Cup
Urid dal : 1 handful.
Salt : required
Oil : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Ghee : optional

Method :

1. Wash and soak raw rice, urid dal (together) for 3 to 4 hours. Soak flattened rice separately.

2. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

3. Now grind soaked rice, urid dal, flattened rice and coconut using little curd and little water. ( Grind it thick)
4. Remove from the mixi jar and put it in a bowl. Let the dough be like idli dough. (do not add much water).

5.  Add salt and mix it well. Leave it for ferment. ( over night ).

6. Keep a tava on the fire and heat. Sprinkle oil on the tava and spread the oil around the tava.
7. Mix the ferment dough and take a spoon of dough and put it on the hot tava. Spread it slightly.

8. Cover and cook on medium heat for a minute. Remove the cover and sprinkle little more oil

 9. Turn the other side and cook for 20 seconds.

10. Remove from the pan and serve hot dosa with any side dish you prepared or pickle , chutney pudi and jaggery.

Note :
Do not add much water. If the dough becomes thin the dosa won't taste good and it is hard to prepare.
Adding ghee or oil while preparing dosa is optional. You can use non stick pan instead of normal tava.
Time : 20 minutes. (Soaking, grinding and ferment time is separate.)
Serves : 5 to 6
You can also prepare Paddu or Guli appa with same dough. (Adding spices or onion to the dough is optional).
Keep a paddu pan and heat. Apply each dip with oil or ghee. Put a small quantity of dough and sprinkle oil again on the top of the guli appa. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the cover and turn the other side of guli appa and cook for  30 seconds and remove from the pan. Repeat the same with remaining dough. Serve with the side dish you have prepared..

Mangalore Southekai Curry

Mangalore Southekai Curry is one of the traditional dish. We from South Canara ( Karnataka), prepare this curry for festivals or feast. and in day today's cooking also.
In  those days,in my aunt's house where I grew up, used to grow these Southe kai in summer and preserve them for using it in rainy season. Not much of vegetables available and they were not used to buy veggies from the market. They sow the seeds in the field after they take out the horse gram or beans and then this Southekai seeds were sowed. By the end of March they cut out the yield and store it by tying them in the cow shed and Padasale ( the middle room for praying). Those days have gone now. Too many problems these days. Either the water or the the worker (lebourer).
Many people are very curious about this Southe Huli. Udupi Hotels are very famous world wide.It has become a fashion that they simply mention Udupi Hotel but they do not have neither the taste or the look. It has become a Market technic to use the word Udupi.
Friends keep asking me to put up the recipe of Udupi  Style of cooking the curry. So this is dedicated to all the people who asked the recipe and the way of cooking. Using freshly roasted spices  is the secret of having good aromatic Curry.
Mangalore Southe kai is called as Bannada Southekai or Oora Southe kai. Since it is colourful with yellow and brown or green it is called as Bannada SoutheKai.
Lets see the benefits of Mangalore Southekai :
Cucumber contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. The peel of Southekai is a good source of dietary fiber and it helps to reduce constipation. It is also a good source of  Potassium and Sodium and helps to reduce the blood pressure. They contain moderate rate of anti oxidants and Vitamin C and Vitamin A. It also contain high rate of Vitamin K. and it is very important for bone mass building.
This dish " Mangalore Southekai Curry " has no onion or garlic.
We can prepare this curry on any day like on normal days,  festival, feast and on fasting days. We can have chapatis, pooris, Idli, dosa, and any kind of rotti.( Raagi - Finger Millet, Jola- Great Millet or Sorghum, Sajje - Pearl Millet etc). I used Moongdal instead of Toor Dal.

Things Needed :

Mangalore Southe Kai : 1 Big Bowl.
Moong Dal : 1/2 Cup
Red Chilly : 5 to 6
Coriander Seeds : 2 Table spoons
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Methi:  1/4 Tea spoon
 Urid Dal : 1/4 Tea spoon
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Green Chilly : 2
Coconut : 3 Table spoon or more
Jaggery : 1 Table spoon
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Ingh : a pinch
Coconut oil : 2 Tea spoons
Salt : required ;
Mustard seeds :1/2 Tea spoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Tea spoon

Method :

1. Wash and pressure cook Moong Dal for  6 to 8 minutes and leave it for cooling.

2. Wash and cut Mangalore Southekai in to small pieces and cook with little water till soft.

3. Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze out the pulp and keep it aside.

4. Grate coconut.
5. Keep a pan on the fire and put 1 tea spoon of oil. Put methi seeds and urid seeds. Let it turn slightly brown.
 6. Add coriander seeds and fry for 1 minute. Add Red chilly and curry leaves. Fry for 20 seconds.
7. Add ingh, jeera and put off the fire.  Leave the fried mixture for cooling.

8. Grind fried mixture with grated coconut and remove from the mixi jar.

9. Keep a pan on the fire. Add cooked cucumber, cooked moong dal, tamarind pulp and salt. Add slit green chilly.
10. Add jaggery and turmeric powder. Mix it well and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

 11.  Now add ground coconut mixture and mix it slowly. Let it boil nicely for 2 to 3 minutes.

12. Shift the ready curry to a serving bowl and add mustard -ingh and curry leaves splutter

 13. Add cut coriander leaves on the top of the curry.

14. Add a spoon of fresh ghee just before serving.
Note:
Using jaggery is optional. ( I have added). Adding onions and garlic is optional. Any cooking oil can be used instead of coconut oil. Removing the outer skin of Southekai is also optional. You can use the outer layer for chutney.
Time : 30  Minutes.
 Serves : 4 to 5.