Description
Avalaki, or poha, is flattened rice, and it is one of the quiet heroes of a Karnataka kitchen. Light, easy on the stomach and ready in minutes, it is what our mums reach for on a weekday morning or when someone wants a small, comforting thindi in the evening.
The savoury version is the one most of us grew up on. A tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli and turmeric wakes up the pan, onions soften if you like them, and the avalaki is folded in with just enough salt and a squeeze of lime, finished with roasted peanuts and a shower of fresh coriander. Sweet avalaki, cooked with jaggery, ghee and cardamom, is the other face of it, soft and golden, the kind a child will eat without protest.
Avalaki is naturally rich in iron and fibre, and gentle on digestion, which is why it turns up so often in home kitchens. Ours is cleaned and packed in small batches at our Malleshwaram kitchen. Soak it briefly, drain, and it is ready to cook. Keep a pack in the cupboard for mornings when you want something warm and home-style but don’t have the time to start from scratch.
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