I first had this dish at my Parimala atya's home in Bangalore, on an ekadashi.This dish is quite filling and definitely good idea to prepare on days of fasting. And since my marriage, I have been preparing this dish only on ekadashi :-)
Ingredients :
- Thick Poha or Avalakki : 1 cup
- Moong dal or Hesaru bele : 2 cups (Toor dal can also be used, but many madhava households do not use it on ekadashi)
- Green Chilli : 2 or as per taste
- Red chilli powder : 1 tsp or as per taste
- Turmeric powder or haldi : a pinch
- Salt : to taste
- Tamarind paste/water : a little over quarter a cup or to taste
- Bisibele Bhaat powder : to taste
- Cumin and Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
- Oil : 2 tsp
- Asefotida or hing : a pinch
- Cilantro or Kotambeer : 1/4 cup
- Jaggery or sugar : 1/2 tsp
- sev : optional
- a cup of cooked vegetables : I add potatoes, peas and carrot.
Method :
- Wash and pressure cook hesaru bele to 3 whistles.
- Wash and keep aside avalakki or poha.Drain avalakki completely of water.
- In a pan, prepare the tempering or tadka.Heat pan, add oil, cumin and mustard seeds, hing, haldi and finely chopped green chilles. Mix them well.
- Add tamarind paste or water, red chili powder, bisibele-bhaat powder, jaggery and salt.
Mix them well and simmer for few minutes, till you get a nice aroma of all the spices. - Pour a cup of water, and adjust taste of spices.When it boils, add vegetables and hesaru bele and boil for 5-6 min.
- Add avalakki.Mix it well with bele and spices. At this point, when avalakki and bele combine, it tends to thicknen.Add water to desired consistency, adjust the spices cover pan with lid and cook for 5 min.
- Remove the lid, allow it to settle for a min, mix it and serve, garnishing with cilantro, sev and a dollop of ghee.
Ekadashi is a day where one is expected to observe austerity, instead it has become a day where I plan what to prepare so as to keep our stomachs from gnawning....I get an urge to indulge in variety of snacks, like that ever lovable, fictional Subbamma, immortalized in this song, "aache maneya subbammanige Ekaadashi upavaasa, ello svalpa tintaarante uppittu avalakki payasa ......"
Listen to the full song here(8th song from above in the list) and enjoy Ekadashi....if we are able to prepare and have as many snacks as listed in this song, Ekadashi will be the most sought after day !!