A rustic Malabar tea-time snack, made of roasted rice flour, had on its own or along with it’s favorite friends, a ripe banana or a boiled ripe plantain…
When we come back from home, something that we bring without fail is a minimum of two big packs of “pooram varuthath”- also called “poora podi” or “avalose podi”, though the latter is more of a South Keralite name. I haven’t seen this being eaten in HD’s side, so I guess it is more prevalent in the Malappuram side, thanks to its proximity to Thrissur. I store one packet in a container outside and another one in the fridge. It makes a very quick fix breakfast or chai time snack, either on its own along with a cup of sulaimani or with a banana mashed into it. B and Azza loves it a lot, but they have their moods to have it, so it would last us for a long period. D would dread this being served because if you are eating it without the banana, then you can imagine the mess. 😉
Last time, I forgot to bring it, so it has been really long time since we had eaten it and I was craving to make some. It was a very surprising to know that it is quite easy to make at home and I wish you could see my excitement when I tried this. 😀 I have used store bought puttu podi to make it, but if you are in a mood to make it from scratch, then you can make your own puttu podi and then go ahead with the rest of the process. 😉 The regular rice flour can’t be used since it would be very finely ground. The rice flour to be used for making this snack should be course, and hence the use of puttu podi.
The whole point is to toast the mixture patiently till it is nicely done and has no raw taste, while doing a taste tester. Once it is 
cooked and cooled, the sugar is tossed in so that it doesn’t melt into the podi. I had a tough time trying to click this. All my clicks turned out a big dud except these two. It is so much easier to eat for sure… hehe… I am linking this post for this month’s A2Z challenge hosted by Vidya and Jolly, the alphabet in question is “R” and I chose “Rice flour” as my ingredient. I had initially decided on rice and had planned out what to cook, but this recipe jumped in between and I couldn’t wait to share it… Off to the recipe…
Pooram Varuthathu | Poora Podi | Avalose Podi ~ Malabar Roasted Rice Flour Snack
Ingredients
- 2 cups puttu podi roasted rice flour (I used Nirapara)
- 3/4 cup grated coconut
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tsp black cumin seeds
- A pinch of turmeric powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Add ingredients from puttu podi to water in a large bowl and give a good mix.
- In a large saucepan, once heated and dry, add these ingredients and start roasting, stirring occasionally till the mixture looks toasted and golden brown.
- Cook on medium-low flame, tossing the mixture to avoid burning. The process may take around 20-25 minutes to get done.
- Switch off and spread onto a large plate to cool. Once the mixture is lukewarm, toss in the sugar. Allow to cool completely.
- Store in airtight container and enjoy with a cup of tea as is, or with a banana.
This is a new dish for me. Sounds interesting. Must be so flavourful .So glad I am learning some new dishes in the group.
Our traditional cuisine are so full of such treasures that make for healthy and delicious snacks that can nourish the body and the soul. I can imagine having some this with a hot cuppa on a cold winter evening.
I’ve only ever heard of Avalose Podi from my Malayali friends, but have never had a chance to try it out. It sounds quite tasty, with the coconut, rice powder, cumin and sugar going in. Would love to try it out with some banana. 🙂
We used to stuff our face with avilose podi.. This image so remined me how much I miss it. This was my best hack to eat a banana as I hated bananas and bananas rolled in tons of avilose podi and more on the side was the best way to get it in.
Rafee, Kerala Traditional recipes are such a rich treasure trove of health, taste and humble ingredients. Absolutely love avalose podi with nendran pazham and chukku kaapi. Oh this is a beauty!
An interesting recipe Rafeeda. Would never have thought of using rice flour to make a dry powder like snack. That just shows that there are still so many traditional recipes we don’t know about.
This is a new dish to me but sounds flavorful with rice , coconut and cumin flavors. Glad to have learnt a new dish from Kerala Cuisine.
This is a totally new dish to me. Never tasted nor heard about this dish but it sounds so flavorful, must be so delicious. I always learn traditional recipes from different cuisine. Thanks for sharing an Interesting recipe!
This is an interesting recipe and quite new for me too dear Rafeeda ! rice , coconut and cumin all in one must be so flavorful. lovely dish from Kerala Cuisine.
Very interesting recipe. Also a new one. The mixture of rice flour, coconut, turmeric, cumin , sugar must makes it very flavorful and tasty.
Roasted rice flour snack sounds interesting. Pairing with banana definitely is a great way to feed picky kids. The lovely combo of cumin and coconut must have enhanced the flavour of the dish.