Spicy No-Cook Rice Flakes

As a kid,one of my not-so-awaited days was Ekadashi. The day when no rice would be cooked and we would need to survive on chapatis, upma and the kind. A very sad state for me indeed. Being a true South Indian, it is still very difficult for me to imagine surviving a whole 24 hours without rice. One of the things I would however look forward to was, the 'Toysida Avalakki' (meaning soaked rice flakes in Kannada) which my Mom would eat as she wouldn't eat anything cooked. We would of course eat the chapatis, curry etc and come back to eat this with Mom. A light after meal snack you know. My mother, in anticipation, would have made extra for us, put them in small cups for us to eat.

A lazy foodie's delight, it can be put together in 10 minutes flat, with the ingredients available very commonly at home.  I usually have a box of grated coconut and a bottle of Lemoneez in my fridge, and of course the rice flakes all the time. Try this spicy, tongue tickling dish and you are sure to lick your fingers clean, make this again and again. Let me warn you though, this is for those who can take the fire of the green chillies and not for the faint hearted. The bite of the chillies and the generous addition of coconut is a must for this dish.

Ingredients:
Rice Flakes (Medium variety, NOT thick or paper variety) 2 cups
Green chillies finely chopped 3
Finely chopped coriander 2 tablespoons
A generous pinch of hing
Grated fresh coconut - 3/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Roasted Bengal gram powder - 3 table spoons
Peeled,finely chopped cucumber 1/4 cup
Deseeded, finely chopped tomato 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons

Wash the rice flakes gently in a colander and drain well immediately. Leave the rice flakes in the colander for 5 minutes. The flakes will become softer while mixing in the rest of the ingredients. In the meantime, you can chop up the vegetables, dry grind the Bengal gram. This powder is again something which is common in most South Indian homes.

The flakes should now be just about soft to the touch without having become too soft or watery. Transfer them to a shallow,large bowl. Add the salt, Bengalgram powder, oil, hing and green chillies. Mix lightly with your hands, taking care not to make the rice flakes soggy. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Add the grated coconut, lemon juice,coriander and the cut vegetables. Serve immediately.

Please Note: 1.Quantity of hing depends on how strong the hing is. If its very strong, put less of it. Too much hing, specially if  it is to be consumed raw will make the dish unpalatable.

2. The vegetables are optional. Skip if you do not have it on hand. The avalakki will taste just as good.

3. Do not use thick rice flakes as it takes very long to soak and affects the taste of the dish. Bhagya Lakshmi Rice Flakes is a brand I have found good. You can try using 'paper' rice flakes, but do not wash the flakes in this case.

4. If you plan to make this ahead, wash the rice flakes and keep aside. The cucumber,tomato and salt should be added just before serving. Otherwise the dish will become soggy.