Kharada Avalakki - Spicy, crunchy beaten rice

KHARADA AVALAKKI

A wooden cupboard with wire mesh doors stood in the corner of our kitchen with its four legs planted firmly in four stone bowls containing water. We took turns and watered the bowls as and when they dried up due to the heat of summer. We were determined to keep away the formidable ants from entering our dear cupboard which served us as our wishing table!
. The cupboard was a store house of delicious goodies which we enjoyed any time, in between meals or even during our meals.With the dreadful exams over, we had a gala time playing the whole day and hovering around the cupboard now and then for a small treat. With four voracious children around, mother had a tough time replenishing the cupboard.
Father often visited Bangalore on business, and he always carried back the best eats on his return . Plum cakes from the Nilgiris, baskets of fresh grapes from the farms on the high way, crunchy cucumbers from Ramanagaram, luscious water melons grown on the river bed near Chennapatna ,flavoursome Maddur vadais - the list was endless.We adored the Kharada Avalakki which he bought from the famous Gundappa hotel at Bangalore. It was spicy, crunchy and an adictive savoury. The roasted whole cashewnuts and the flavour of ghee added to its rich aroma.
Even after marriage brought me to live in Bangalore, father always remembered to drop a packet of Kharada avalakki for me during his visits to the city.

KHARADA AVALAKKI

INGREDIENTS
Thick beaten rice ( Avalakki) - 250 gms
Cashew nuts (whole) - 100 gms
Copra ( Naturally dried coconut) slivered - 1/4 piece
Roasted gram - 50 gms
Curry leaves - a few
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Broken red chillies - 2
Oil for frying

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a kadai
2. In another wide vessel mix salt, chilly powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida and keep aside.

3. Dip a colander with a handle in hot oil and add a scoop of beaten rice into it. The beaten rice will immediately puff up.
4. Immediately lift up the colander from hot oil and allow the oil to drain into the kadai.
5. Add the fried beaten rice into the vessel containing the spice mixture.
6. Fry all the beaten rice, scoop by scoop and add it to the spice vessel.
7. Finally fry the cashew nuts, copra slivers, curry leaves and broken red chillies one by one and add to the fried beaten rice, and switch off flame.
8. Blend all ingredients by shaking the vessel so that the salt and spice coat the avalakki evenly.

9. Finally mix in the fried gram and cool the avalakki.
Store the spicy crunchy kharada avalakki in an air tight container and relish it with tea or coffee .
( If the flavour of fried copra is not desired , raw slivers of copra can be used. Fried peanuts can be substituted or added along with cashew nuts)

Build a Plumbing Arsenal

Seven Plumbing Supplies, You Absolutely, Positively Must Have on Hand At All Times!

While many of us would prefer to call in a professional plumber rather than risk flooding the kitchen, bathroom, laundry or entire home for that matter, there are plenty of simple plumbing repairs and adjustments you can make on your own in a pinch—if you have the right tools.

The following are seven essential plumbing supplies that Horizon Services recommends that you should have in your home that will allow you to fix common problems and handle many plumbing emergencies without necessarily having to hire a pro.

• A Plumbing Repair Kit: Most home improvement, hardware stores, and plumbing supply retailers carry especially designed plumbing repair kits that will provide the tools and equipment you need to fix many common plumbing problems. Toilet and sink repair kits include all the basic parts and materials required to repair most simple issues. Having these on hand will leave you much better prepared to deal with a dripping faucet, a running toilet, water that won’t shut off and many other common plumbing problems.



• Plumber’s Putty: This substance is a temporary cure-all for a variety of common household plumbing problems. Though it’s not meant to provide a permanent solution, plumber’s putty is perfect for sealing minor leaks and minimizing water damage until you can get a plumber to take a look at the problem, or perform more permanent plumbing repairs yourself. Plumber’s putty is sold at most hardware and home improvement stores.



• Pipe Epoxy: Similar to putty, pipe epoxy will temporarily plug holes in pipes and hoses until a more permanent plumbing repair can be done. The difference between putty and epoxy is that the latter can generally be used on wet or dry surfaces, and the bond it forms is more secure. Epoxy can be difficult to remove, though, so it should be used sparingly and with care.



• Pipe Wrench: Sometimes a leaky faucet is caused by something as simple as a loosened nut or bolt. A pipe wrench lets you get at hard-to-reach places, and is long enough to reach and hold those distant pipes located at the back of your cabinets or walls.



• Nuts, Bolts, and Washers: Perhaps the most inexpensive piece of plumbing equipment ever, it’s almost insane not to have extra fasteners on hand for plumbing and household emergencies. Small and easy to store, nuts, bolts, and washers are plumbing essentials that you can never have too many of.



• A Drain Snake: Clogged drains and plugged toilets can bring a household to a stand-still. A drain snake is the quickest and most effective way to eliminate clogs without the use of harsh chemicals or dissolving agents. Untreated clogs can lead to more serious drain and plumbing problems, which can cost thousands to repair. A decent snake won’t cost you more than $20 or so; compact packaging means you can keep the snake wrapped up and tucked away until you need it.



• A Fully-Equipped Toolbox: Having all your plumbing supplies in one place can save tons of hassle when you need to repair a leaky toilet in the middle of the night. Be sure to have the basic tools, too. Screwdrivers, both Phillips head and flat, wrenches of varying sizes, screws, hammers, a level, tape measure, etc. Keeping everything together in a toolbox will ensure you have the right plumbing tool handy when you need it most.

Related Plumbing Information...

• Horizon Plumbing Services
• Horizon Drain Cleaning Services
• Fast and Easy Dishwasher Care and Maintenance
• Garbage Disposal Do's and Don'ts
• How To Properly Use a Plunger to Unclog a Toilet, Sink or Tub
• Winter Plumbing Maintenance Tips
• 9 Ways to Save Water

Mint Chip Ice Cream

Daddy gaves me a pot of mint leaves. I'm so glad to receive this pot of mint although it's just a little pot but I think it's enough for my usage either for decoration on a cake or cooking. This little pot of mint growing quite fast and it show that I must use it up before the old leaves go dry. I pick some for making this mint chip ice cream.

A recipe from Artisan Gelato, it's quite straight forward like the other ice cream recipes I've been using. However, I find the ice cream don't have the stronge mint effect and quite dissapointed with the pale color. I'm actually expecting a sharp green leaves color also a powerful mints flavour. Although I can feel the "cool" but not that "WOW" effect. I guess it might not enough mint leaves although I've followed exactly the recipe which ask for two cups of mint leaves. I think four cups would be great! Anyway, the ice cream is nicely done with the creamy texture and the bit of cooling effect is still nice for this hot weather. I add in some chopped dark chocolate as I think this would become a classic mint ice cream.

Mint Chip Gelato (Artisan Gelato) 

480ml whole milk

150g granulated sugar (I used 100g)

2 cups fresh mints leaves

4 large egg yolks

240ml heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

90g chopped dark chocolate

Pour the milk into a medium size, heavy bottomed saucepan, add approximately 100g (70g) of the sugar, place over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture register 77C on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat, add the mint leaves, and stir to make sure that they're fully submerged (don't worry if they float to the top). Cover and let steep for 2 hours. (The longer the mint leaves steep, the stronger the mint flavor will be.)

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean, medium size, heavy bottomed saucepan, pressing on the mint leaves to remove as much flavor as possible. Discard the mint leaves and place the steeped mixture back on the stove top over medium heat. Warm, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from scorching, until it registers 77C on an instant read thermometer.

In a nonreactive, medium-size bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 50g (30g) of sugar until foamy and slightly thickned. Carefully temper the eggyolks with the hot milk mixture by slowly adding about half of the hot liquid to the eggs, whisking continously. Pour the heated egg mixture into the sauce pan with the hot milk and return to the stove top. Stirring continously with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, cook the mixture over medium heat until it register 85C on an instant read thermometer or is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula, taking care to make sure the mixture does not boil. Remove from the heat. Emulsify the mix, if not completely smooth, before incorporating it into the cold cream.

Pour the heavy cream into a clean, large stainless-steel or glas mixing bowl set over an ice bath. Pour the heated custard through a fine mesh sieve or strainer into the cold cream, add the vanilla extract, and stir until fully incorporated. Stir occasionally about every 5 minutes until teh mixture has fully cooled. This should take about 1/2 hour. Remove the mixing bowl from the ice bath, dry off the bottome of the bowl if necessary, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight. When ready, pour the chilled mixture into the ice-cream maker and about 2 minutes from being done, slowly add the chopped chocolate. Finish processing the gelato.

Remove the finished gelato from the ice cream maker and place in a plastic continer. Cover with plastic wrap by pressing the wrap gently against the top of the gelato, affix lid to container, and place in the freezer to fully harden before serving.