Puli aval recipe, tamarind aval

     This is my favorite like the  Lemon Aval I posted earlier. Mom makes this for me for dinner. I had forgotten this one after I got married. Once when she came here to SG, I was wondering what to have for my dinner. This is my daily routine. What’s for dinner routine. I always want something hot and prepared freshly, preferable a tiffin for dinner, where as Vj is just opposite. So the problem is always for me. So mom quickly asked me why dont you make puli aval. Its easy to make and u like it also? Then only I remembered this after years, though I dint showed up to mom that I have not prepared it for so long. Most of the times I am lazy to prepare something for myself and eat this and that(all unwanted junks!😪 ) and fill my tummy. But aval/ flattened rice or poha is healthy also. Why I dont find time for myself to prepare this I always wonder. Sometimes things dont come to mind at that instant of time!

And while everything was running behind my mind, mom took the poha she took from India and made this under 20 minutes and gave me. Should anyone tell the heavenly taste of the comfort food made by your own mom and placed in your hands?  It was divinely. Sigh. If only we get the same feeling everyday 😐. I usually do not use peanuts, but added this time to get it beautiful for the photoshoot 😉. And the below picture is the inspiration from the Murugan Idli shop’s puli sadam/ lemon sadam banner here in SG. I always drool and watch it without batting my eyelashes. I wanted to make a picture look like that – GORGEOUS- ! But the picture came out the same or not is another question, still … I myself liked the click. A rare satisfaction hehe. And actually I have to admit, I made this post just for clicking these pictures. Otherwise its similar to my Lemon aval recipe.
 

Puli Aval recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Breakfast
Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 5 mins    |  Serves: 2

 Click here to read in Tamil

Ingredients

Flattened rice/ poha/ aval (thick variety) - 1 cup

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Tamarind - Gooseberry sized

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Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

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as needed

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Sesame oil - 1 tsp

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To temper

Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

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Mustard - 1 tsp

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Urad dal - 1 tsp

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Chana dal - 1 tbsp

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Peanuts - 2 tbsp

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Asafoetida - 3 generous pinches

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red chillies - 2

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Green chillies - 2

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Curry leaves - 1 sprig

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Method

1. Wash poha well twice in water. Extract tamarind juice and make it one cup with water. Heat it until it starts to boil. Add it to the washed, well drained poha.
 
2. Add turmeric, a pinch of asafoetida and salt to it. Mix well. Keep it covered for min 5-10 minutes or max. until you cook. By the time you open, all the water would have been absorbed by the poha.
 
3. Heat a kadai with oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Add green chillies and curry leaves in the later part to ensure the dals get fried well. Lastly add the asafoetida.

4. Add the soaked poha. Mix well and gently pat it to level it in the kadai and cook covered in low flame for 3-4 minutes.
 

Notes

•  Soaking in hot tamarind water gives you soft texture aval. Also makes the cooking easy and quick.You can use room temperature water too.
• If using thin aval, add less water as much as possible.
• The turmeric added will have its effect only after the poha gets cooked. Until that, you may not feel the colour. You can see this in step 4.
• Do not add more water and soak, otherwise the poha turns gooey.
• I use sesame oil for topping, just before eating to give a nice flavour.
• I use both the chillies just for flavour. you can use any one variety.
• I used ready made tamarind paste. So the job was super easy.

Mix well and top with sesame oil and enjoy the Puli aval. Tastes great even after cooled down.