Aalanga (Traditional Onam snack)

 

Ingredients

Roasted rice flour, 1 cup

Palm jaggery, 190 g

Water, 1¼ cup

Grated coconut, ½ cup

Coconut pieces, 2 tbs

Dry ginger powder, ¼ tsp

Cardamom powder, ½ tsp

Cumin powder, ¼ tsp

Ghee, 2 tsp

I used Palm jaggery as it is the best healthy alternative for sugar. If you don’t have palm jaggery you may use sugarcane jaggery (marayoor jaggery is the best).

It is vital that you use roasted rice flour and not any kind of rice appam powder or puttu powder.

I strongly recommend making the rice powder at home. First, soak the white rice for two hours and drain the water. Dry it with a clean towel or under the sun and grind it to a fine powder. Roast the powder in a frying pan until dry and it is ready when the aroma is released.

Please try this as it is very easy, and it can be used for several other delicious breakfast cuisines.

Preparation

• Add jaggery and water together in a saucepan and boil over medium-low flame until completely melted.
• Stir occasionally to avoid jaggery from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Filter the jaggery water to remove any impurities and set aside.
• Heat ½ tbs of ghee in a wide pan to fry the coconut pieces until it turns light brown and set aside.

• Add grated coconut and roast on a medium flame for two minutes.

Add cumin powder, cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, and mix it.

• Boil 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of jaggery water and a pinch of salt in a pan.
• Lower the flame, add flour and mix with a spoon until the flour is completely folded.

• Switch off the flame and remove from fire; and set aside closed.
• Before the batter completely cools down, mix with your hands to form a dough. The dough should not be loose.

• After five minutes make small gooseberry size balls and set aside closed.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in an iron pan over medium flame. To check the heat, drop a small ball into the oil, it should sizzle and float. Then lower the flame (to medium-low) and fry the balls in batches until golden color.

Your aalanga is ready.
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