Avalose Podi

Avalose podi is a very common and popular snack from Kerala. As the name suggests, it is a snack in the powder form. Avalose podi has a long shelf life, hence it can be made in bulk and stored. This is usually eaten with sugar along with or without banana. I also know people who take this with their coffee or tea. Nowadays, it's readily available in shops, but trust me, you will surely love this homemade version more than the store-bought one.

Ingredients:
Raw rice- 1/2 kilogram
Coconut (scraped)- 1 full
Shallots-1-2 minced very fine
Salt a pinch
Cumin seed / Jeera- 1 teaspoon
Black sesame seeds- 1&1/2 teaspoon

Method
Soak rice in water for 4 hours, drain it, dry it and make it into coarse powder.I used my food processor and it was just perfect.  Scrape coconut and keep it aside.
 In a wide mouthed bowl, mix the rice flour, scraped coconut,shallots, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, and salt.  Rub it nicely with your fingers and mix it nicely.  Keep it aside for 1 hour.  (Take care the rice flour should be dry)After one hour, heat a heavy bottomed pan or kadai.
 Add the rest of the cumin seeds and black sesame seeds and roast it.  Then add the mixture and roast it nicely till the color starts changing  to light brownish color at a low heat.
 As soon as it is done transfer the contents to another bowl.  Otherwise it will get over cooked by  the heat of the pan.
In case you have lumps sift the flour through a sieve (a bigger one) and then grind the bigger pieces that are left.  Fry that well and mix it with the fried avalose podi.
Allow it to cool and then store it in an airtight container.
 Serve it with sugar and bananas.