Chuda Kadamba ( Avalakki/Poha Laddoo )

Chuda santula (Poha). Chuda Kadali Chakta. Chuda khera. Chuda payas. While there are many ways of consuming beaten rice ( or 'Chuda') in  Odisha, I came across this one very recently. 'Chuda Kadamba' or laddoos made of powdered beaten rice are not only easy to make, they taste great and are super healthy too!! They do sound like manna from heaven for folks on a strict diet regimen ( one can cut down on the quantity of ghee by half and use skim milk instead ) .

I was inspired to make this for my kid who is on a snacking spree these days. Store bought stuff can be unhealthy at times ( MSG, too much sugar, artificial sweeteners) and he is always looking for more variety. Hence I tried these laddoos which did not call for much effort and are low on white/refined sugar too !!! While I have added some cashews and raisins to my version but one can also omit the same. Read on for the quick recipe -

Preparation time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 cups thin poha/chuda (beaten rice)
• 5 tsp brown sugar/jaggery
• 2 green cardamoms (powdered)
• 1 tsp ghee
• 4 tbsp freshly grated coconut
• 4-5 tsp warm milk ( or as needed for binding )
• a pinch of edible camphor (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp broken cashews (optional)
• 2 tbsp raisins (optional)

Preparation - Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in a pan. Add the cashews and raisins and fry for 10-15 seconds. Keep aside to cool down.

Grind the beaten rice to a fine powder.

Next add the cardamom and brown sugar/jaggery to the same blender jar and buzz till mixed.

Add freshly grated coconut, ghee, fried cashews and buzz for 1-2 seconds.

Finally add the milk little by little and give it a buzz. All the ingredients should come together like a dough. If not add more milk by the teaspoon ( be careful at this stage ).

Rub ghee on your hands, take a little of the mixture and try to form a ball/laddoo. If it is binding well, remove the mixture from blender jar into a mixing bowl else add more milk . Add raisins and camphor. Mix well.

Make into small balls. Pop into the fridge for a few hours. Keep refrigerated and consume with 2-3 days.

Chuda Santula

Cooking Time Required: 10 mins
Cost of preparation: 10-15 rupees

Ingredients: Chuda ( Beaten Rice, Poha, Chiwda ) ( 1 bowl ), onion ( 1 small ), potato ( 1 small, optional ), mustard-fenugreek-fennel-coriander seeds ( 1/3 tsp), green chilli ( 1 no ), oil ( 3 tsp), turmeric, lemon ( half ), chilli powder ( 1/3 tsp , optional ), curry leaves ( 1 stem ), peanuts ( 1/3 cup ), coriander leaves, freshly grated coconut , salt to taste.

Preparation: Wash the chuda and keep aside. If its the thicker variety, its needs to be soaked for 5 minutes. For the thinner variety (also called nylon chuda), no soaking is required.

Cut the onion and potatoes into long strips. Finely cut the coriander leaves.

Cooking: Heat a pan. Add 1 tsp oil and throw in the peanuts. Stir for 3-4 minutes till they start crackling.Remove from pan and keep aside.

Add 2 tsp oil to pan. Add the mustard-fenugreek-fennel-coriander seeds, curry leaves, turmeric and green chilli. When the seeds start crackling, add the onion and potato pieces with a little bit of salt. Cover the pan and cook till they are almost done.

Add the washed chuda and stir gently to mix it well with the other ingredients. Put in some more salt. Takes 2-3 mins to be done. Then remove from fire, add the fried peanuts, grated coconut, coriander leaves and squeeze the lemon over it. Mix gently and serve with tomato sauce/ketchupp.

Makes for an easy to prepare and healthy recipe for your lunchbox.

Note  - Only mustard seeds