4 0' Clock Palaharam/Snack-Reviving childhood memories
Last night I compared notes with my siblings about their memories of our mother's cooking and her dishes.The youngest sibling is yet to respond...probably caught up with work, different time zone or family?
My sister and the brother younger to me said they remembered mom's Maida appams (pancakes) half-boiled eggs (soft eggs), cutlets, chicken curry, Biriyani (Oh my the best!!!), salads and a veg dish called Shaark (To be updated someday-name of the dish coined one fine day...am yet to get hold of that recipe, I do make another concoction of that but nowhere close to what mom used to make)
I also remember that it was not easy for her to manage the kitchen and us single-handedly and to constantly keep us nourished and in good health. We have always pitched in as youngsters-Sis would have to help her as she was the oldest, I did peel or dice the veggies, fill the bottles with drinking water, clear the table, clean Pa's car or clean the carpet.As mentioned in earlier posts we were born, bred and lived in Kuwait up to the early eighties...those days relatives used to call us or look at us as the kids or cousins from Persia!!! Now every third relative is in the Gulf!!!
There was this one particular dish that I fondly remember my mother preparing for us. Either she prepared that fresh for us or during one of those return visits from India, we would bring back Aval Vilayachathu. Aval or Poha/flattened or beaten rice flakes cooked to perfection as shown in the video that follows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7r49IJQusU
That used to be like a filling tea time snack. Naalu Mani Palaharam/ 4 0' clock snack. Nostalgia creeping in big time!!! Fighting back tears to finish writing this post!
Well today's snack is once again going out for our noble cause and noble drive towards feeding the hungry and homeless on the roads within my radius.
My mother always prepared a 4 0' clock snack for us. It varied from pancakes to banana fritters, to achappams (rose cookies) to her pound cakes...her list was endless and she always prepared them on her own and warned us to ration out amongst the four of us without fighting! Our tummies were never ever empty... because mom was there at home ensuring and paying heed to our requirements atleast as far as food was concerned.
I have followed the video to the T where the ingredients are concerned but varied the quantities here and there as that is me, The Inconsistent Chef. It came out superb! But please do follow what Lakshmi has mentioned in her video on Magic Oven.
The Ingredients :-(as per the video link above and not the quantities I have used-The video is Malayalam-Kerala)
Aval-half a kilo to be toasted and set aside.
Jaggery -3/4 of a kilo to be melted in the same quantity of water, the scum removed and later strained and set aside.
3/4 kilo of grated coconut to be also toasted in another pan and set aside. To this lightly toasted coconut, the melted and strained jaggery is poured and stirred well. Once the jaggery has sort of coated the coconut well, push the coated coconut to the side of the wok/uruli/saucepan and make a well with the remaining jaggery water. Into this well, the toasted Aval/beaten rice flakes are added and stirred well.
The entire coconut-jaggery-Aval-water are combined well such that the aval cooks further in that liquid and allow the mixture to dry out. During this process add in a tsp. or more of powdered/crushed cardamom to add the flavouring for the weet dish.
By this time, your kitchen has the heavenly aroma of a kheer/payasam/Indian sweet dish in the making. The wonders that cardamom can do!!! Priceless!
Let the dish sit through after sautéing them well. The final decoration or garnish goes in. As per the video in a separate pan over the flame, in three tbsps., of ghee/clarified butter she has added a few cashewnuts, black sesame seeds and Pottu kadala (roasted gram) I did not add any of these as I did not have those...I did have white sesame but that is not called for in the garnish. Hence I chose to use peanuts which I always have at home and that is how I remembered my mother serving them to us. I have never had them with cashews or sesame seeds!
One can add a bit of powdered dry ginger as well to give an earthy flavour and a hint of spice.
Mom taught us to have it with a banana and that's how I like my Aval Vilayachathu. Literally squeezing the banana to a pulp between my fingers and palm, mixing them by hand with the aval and having them while chatting with my siblings. I do not think this went well with the brothers when they were kids-Mom may have given them biscuits or cookies but I am sure my sister and I were very accommodating.
Individual servings will be done in a couple of hours and I will be heading for our destination along with my friends. I am so excited and elated despite the severe backache I have at the moment. It is all in the mind I know...The pain will cease...all is well, all will be well!
My sister and the brother younger to me said they remembered mom's Maida appams (pancakes) half-boiled eggs (soft eggs), cutlets, chicken curry, Biriyani (Oh my the best!!!), salads and a veg dish called Shaark (To be updated someday-name of the dish coined one fine day...am yet to get hold of that recipe, I do make another concoction of that but nowhere close to what mom used to make)
I also remember that it was not easy for her to manage the kitchen and us single-handedly and to constantly keep us nourished and in good health. We have always pitched in as youngsters-Sis would have to help her as she was the oldest, I did peel or dice the veggies, fill the bottles with drinking water, clear the table, clean Pa's car or clean the carpet.As mentioned in earlier posts we were born, bred and lived in Kuwait up to the early eighties...those days relatives used to call us or look at us as the kids or cousins from Persia!!! Now every third relative is in the Gulf!!!
There was this one particular dish that I fondly remember my mother preparing for us. Either she prepared that fresh for us or during one of those return visits from India, we would bring back Aval Vilayachathu. Aval or Poha/flattened or beaten rice flakes cooked to perfection as shown in the video that follows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7r49IJQusU
That used to be like a filling tea time snack. Naalu Mani Palaharam/ 4 0' clock snack. Nostalgia creeping in big time!!! Fighting back tears to finish writing this post!
Well today's snack is once again going out for our noble cause and noble drive towards feeding the hungry and homeless on the roads within my radius.
My mother always prepared a 4 0' clock snack for us. It varied from pancakes to banana fritters, to achappams (rose cookies) to her pound cakes...her list was endless and she always prepared them on her own and warned us to ration out amongst the four of us without fighting! Our tummies were never ever empty... because mom was there at home ensuring and paying heed to our requirements atleast as far as food was concerned.
 |
| Source: Google images of Rose cookies/achappams |
I have followed the video to the T where the ingredients are concerned but varied the quantities here and there as that is me, The Inconsistent Chef. It came out superb! But please do follow what Lakshmi has mentioned in her video on Magic Oven.
The Ingredients :-(as per the video link above and not the quantities I have used-The video is Malayalam-Kerala)
Aval-half a kilo to be toasted and set aside.
Jaggery -3/4 of a kilo to be melted in the same quantity of water, the scum removed and later strained and set aside.
3/4 kilo of grated coconut to be also toasted in another pan and set aside. To this lightly toasted coconut, the melted and strained jaggery is poured and stirred well. Once the jaggery has sort of coated the coconut well, push the coated coconut to the side of the wok/uruli/saucepan and make a well with the remaining jaggery water. Into this well, the toasted Aval/beaten rice flakes are added and stirred well.
The entire coconut-jaggery-Aval-water are combined well such that the aval cooks further in that liquid and allow the mixture to dry out. During this process add in a tsp. or more of powdered/crushed cardamom to add the flavouring for the weet dish.
By this time, your kitchen has the heavenly aroma of a kheer/payasam/Indian sweet dish in the making. The wonders that cardamom can do!!! Priceless!
Let the dish sit through after sautéing them well. The final decoration or garnish goes in. As per the video in a separate pan over the flame, in three tbsps., of ghee/clarified butter she has added a few cashewnuts, black sesame seeds and Pottu kadala (roasted gram) I did not add any of these as I did not have those...I did have white sesame but that is not called for in the garnish. Hence I chose to use peanuts which I always have at home and that is how I remembered my mother serving them to us. I have never had them with cashews or sesame seeds!
One can add a bit of powdered dry ginger as well to give an earthy flavour and a hint of spice.
Mom taught us to have it with a banana and that's how I like my Aval Vilayachathu. Literally squeezing the banana to a pulp between my fingers and palm, mixing them by hand with the aval and having them while chatting with my siblings. I do not think this went well with the brothers when they were kids-Mom may have given them biscuits or cookies but I am sure my sister and I were very accommodating.
 |
| Johnny boy :) Thank you Google images |
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