Gojju Avalakki or Huli Avalakki

This tangy, sweet dish made of Poha and Tamarind is a favorite to anybody in Madhwa houses. My grandmother( Father’s Mom) who lived in B’Lore, (we used to call her Bangalore Ajji) used to make this in the evenings. She used to of course powder the Poha by hand. Thanks for all the wonderful gadgets we have now in the kitchen, we can coarsely grind the poha in minutes in our Food Processor. So, here comes Bangalore Ajji’s Gojju Avalakki recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups Thick poha coarsely ground ( See picture below)
2. 4 tsp tamarind paste
3. 8 tsp Brown sugar or Jaggery
4. 3 tsp Rasam powder or sarina pudi
5. 5 tsp Fresh or dry coconut
6. 5 tsp Ground nuts
7. 6-7 Coriander leaves
8. 6 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp channa dal, 1 tsp urad dal, 1/2 tsp haldi, hing to taste for seasoning.
9. Salt to taste.

Method:

Grind the poha in 3 batches in your blender. It should be like the Rava consistency. See picture below:

Next, in a large bowl, mix the tamarind paste, salt, rasam powder, jaggery. Add enough water (approximately 3 cups) and mix well. See picture below.

Next, mix the coarsely ground poha to this mixture and keep aside for an hour. The poha will soak up all the water. See picture below.

Finally, in a big pan add the oil. When the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds, haldi, urad dal, channa dal, curry leaves, and also peanuts. Fry for a few minutes. Add coconut. Next add the poha and keep stirring for at least 10-15 minutes. Add salt. Add 2-3 tsp of water if it looks too try.

Serve with curds or yogurt. My Bangalore Ajji used to also fry Happala and Sandige along with Gojju Avalakki. Yummy.