Avalose Podi & Dates Avalose Unda ~ Traditional Kerala Snack

As with many Kerala specials, I was introduced to this sweet/snack by our neighbour V aunty. I have no clue what the name 'Avalose' implies. Because it doesn't indicate any of the ingredients used or the taste of it. If any of you have any idea of it do share it with me. Whatever be the name, the ingredients used easily available ones - Rice and Coconut and a little of jeera/cumin to flavor it up.  This was not part of the traditional cuisine (Kerala Iyer) followed at home. During my childhood days, when we were living as joint family, recipes outside our traditional cuisine were not very common. The occasional indulgence was chappati/ puri with Potato masala. As always, you will yearn for the goodies which is not available to you. Later on when we moved to our own house and with our constant pestering Amma got the recipe from V aunty. The recipe is very simple but the taste is simply out of the world. This is generally made in large quantities and is taken a snack. There are some flour mills, where they pound the rice and roast coconut and the rice flour together. 

You need

• Rice flour - 1 cup, preferable home made
• Fresh grated coconut- 1/2 cup
• Cumin/Jeera - 1/2 tspn

 

 Method

 

Mix flour and coconut together and keep aside for an hour or so. While mixing this way, the flour will absorb the moisture from coconut and the flour will turn fluffy. The mixture will turn dry and it will ease in roasting.

  

Heat a kadai. Roast jeera ad then add the flour mix to it. Roast in medium heat, till it is light brown. I love the the aroma of roasted rice and coconut. If there is any lumps, try to break it with hand. Or to get a uniform texture, just pulse it in a mixer for few seconds.

  

While serving, take some avalose podi and mix in sugar and eat. Optionally, you can slice some banana pieces and mash it along and serve. Personally, I like to eat with sugar only.

 

 Note: Roasting should be done on medium heat so  as to bring out the flavors and for even roasting.

 

 

 

 

Avalose Unda
 

 

 

 

Traditionally, avalose unda is made with jaggery syrup mixed in and rolled into balls. Here I made the balls using dates. Finely chop the dates and pulse it in the mixer grinder. Mix in the avulose podi and make into balls. This makes a healthy snack with natural sweetener.

 

 

 

 

 
 

Green Cooling Ideas for Your Home

Staying cool in warm weather can be tricky business. Rising temperatures outside and strong sunlight beating down on your home and into windows make it difficult to keep indoor temperatures comfortable. Air conditioning certainly helps, but with the high cost of initial installation and mounting utility charges, this isn’t always the most practical option. Additionally, there is the issue of chemical refrigerants used by residential air conditioners that can contribute to pollution and global warming.

If you’re looking for a greener alternative to traditional air conditioning, the following common sense ideas and low-cost changes can cool your home without harming the environment or depleting your budget.

The best way to keep your home naturally cool in the summer is to prevent heat from building up indoors in the first place. The most obvious source of indoor heat gain is direct sunlight, which gets absorbed by your home’s roof, walls, and windows. Other, lesser known sources include air leakage around poorly sealed and insulated doors and windows, and heat from household appliances like dryers, dishwashers, and computers.

To keep heat from building up inside your home, use heavy curtains or blinds on windows to block direct sunlight, enhance the landscaping around your home with trees and shrubbery that help deflect or bar the sun’s rays, make sure doors and windows are properly sealed, turn off heat-generating appliances like televisions and computers when not in use, and limit the use of other appliances that use heat —- like the washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher—to early in the morning or after dark when outdoor temperatures are likely to be lower.

In hotter climates or in larger homes, simply deflecting the sun’s rays and restricting the use of heat-generating appliances are not enough to cool effectively. Fortunately, there are several environmentally responsible strategies you can employ to supplement traditional air conditioning.

Any time you can reduce the strain on your home’s air conditioning system, you’re saving money and lowering your energy usage (and impact on the environment). So things like shading windows and sealing doors are a good first step in greening up your home’s cooling. Fans and evaporative coolers go even further.

Ceiling fans won’t cool a room, but they make you feel cooler. Using a fan can make a room feel up to four degrees cooler than with air conditioning alone. Installing a fan means you can turn up your air conditioner several degrees, reducing your energy usage and helping you save money.

Evaporative coolers cool the air using water vapor and are only appropriate if you live in a dry climate. However, they consume about a fourth of the energy of conventional air conditioners, which makes them environmentally friendly and energy conscious.

There are now more rebates and financial incentives than ever for homeowners who choose energy efficient options for home cooling. Many utility companies and local governments participate in a variety of programs. If you’re thinking about greening your home’s air conditioner, contact your utility company or local environmental conservation agency for information about available programs in your area.

Related Information from Horizon Services...

• Horizon Air Conditioning Services
• Air Conditioning Alternatives
• Seasonal Energy Saving Tips
• Home Energy Myths Debunked
• Cutting Edge Solutions for Energy Efficiency
• Green Your Home...Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

PULI AVAL


I always like this delicious snack. This is an ideal dish for the breakfast and a different one. For this, we have to use hand made rice flakes, not the machine made one. There are so many dishes like aval upma, aval pongal, aval apayasam, aval pulav we can prepare with rice flakes. But I think this is the tastiest of all!

புளி அவல்

Ingredients:

Rice flakes-4 cups
Tamarind- a big lemon size
Gingelly oil- 4 tbsp
Ghee- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Black gram- 1 tsp
Red chillies-6
Bengal gram- 2 tbsp
Groundnuts- 2 tbsp [optional]
Shredded coconut- half cup
Curry leaves- 2 arc
Chopped coriander- 3 tbsp
Fried cashew nuts- 3 tbsp
Asafetida- half sp
Turmeric powder- half sp
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Wash the rice flakes and drain all the water thoroughly.
Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water for half an hour in warm water and then extract its juice.
Heat a big pan and pour the oil.
Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the grams, asafetida, curry leaves, ground nuts and red chillies.
Fry them on slow fire until they turns to light golden brown.
Add the curry leaves with the turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
Then add the tamarind juice and allow it to boil.
When the gravy thickens add the salt.
When the gravy thickens almost to a paste and the oil floats on top add the drained rice flakes with enough salt.
Mix well on slow fire for a few minutes until the rice flakes are coated well with the tamarind paste.
Add the ghee and a tsp of gingelly oil and cook for a few seconds.
Lastly add the fried cashew nuts and the coconut.
Mix well for once and now the tasty puli aval is ready!