Poha/Avalakki

This is a fast to cook dish, which is served as breakfast in India.  It can be had as a snack too. 

Preparation Time - 30 mins
Cook Time - 20 mins
Serves - 2

Measurements & Ingredients:

• Beaten rice(thick poha/gatti avalakki) - 4 handfuls
• Onion - 1 medium sized, cut into small pieces
• Carrot - 1 big, grated
• Fresh or frozen grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Lemon juice - 3 tspns
• Green chillies - 4-5
• Cilantro(coriander leaves) - a few sprigs
• Curry leaves - a few
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder(optional) - 1/4 th tspn
• Oil - 3 tbspns
• Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
• Black gram(urad dal) - 1 tspn
• Bengal gram(channa dal) - 1 tspn
• Pinch of asafoetida

Method:

Wash and soak the thick poha in water.  Leave it aside for 30 mins.  In this time, you could do the chopping and grating.

Heat oil in a pan.  To this add, mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, green chillies, hing, curry leaves and then onion.  Fry on low heat until the onions turn pink.  Now add the grated carrot, salt and fry for 2-3 mins.

 After 30 mins of soaking, drain out all the water and sqeeze the excess water out of the poha and add this poha to the pan and mix well.  Turn the heat to low.  Cook it covered for 5 mins.  Stir occasionally.  Sprinkle a little water if you feel it is getting too dry.

 Finally add the grated coconut, lemon juice, switch off the stove and mix well.  Let it rest for 5 mins.  The poha/avalakki will be ready!  It tastes good with Roasted Gram Spicy powder(hurigadale pudi)

Note:
If you are using thin poha instead of the thick one, you need not soak it for such long time.  Soak it for 5 mins and the rest of the procedure is the same.
Also, you could add raw peanuts at the beginning when you heat oil, then add the rest of the ingredients.  The crunchy peanuts tastes awesome.
You could add a variety of vegetables like capsicum, green peas, cucumber, tomato(not all together) to the poha.