On 2006-12-14, Kake L Pugh wrote:
Can it be made at home, from ordinary rice? It sounds very useful.

Yes, theoretically. But it's a ridiculous amount of work. Buying it
dried, by the bag, at Indian groceries (or online, perhaps) is
definitely your best bet.

However, I do have a recipe, which I've never, ever seen used.
Guessing a bit how to adapt it to the modern kitchen, start by
par-cooking brown rice, and letting it soak overnight. Drain it well,
then toast it uniformly over a very hot flame (stirring with a
suitable device, say a bamboo whisk). Flatten the rice in a very
large mortar, or perhaps with a heavy rolling pin, and winnow/sift out
the husk and broken pieces with a mesh colander. (If you have tools
for flaking other grains, I bet they'd work here, too.)


For your entertainment (in that I doubt most of us have ready sources
of paddy), here's the recipe adapted above, from S Meenakshi Ammal's
_Samaithu Paar_. (The cookbook, translated into English as _Cook And
See_, is perhaps the canonical cookbook for my ethnic group's
vegetarian cuisine.)

BEATEN RICE FLAKES (AVAL)

Winnow paddy and remove completely, stones, chaff, etc. For 32 cups
(8 liters) of paddy, take 32 cups (8 liters) of water. Boil water
vigorously in a big vessel. (Brass, copper, or even an earthen pot
can be used.)

Add the (cleaned) paddy and cover with the lid. After half an hour,
see if the bubbles are beginning to rise. Then immerse a burning
piece of wood or a bit of live coal. Let it hiss. Remove. Turn
the paddy with a long ladle, thoroughly once or twice, from top to
bottom.

Remove fire wood from the oven. Wait for a few minutes and remove
paddy from fire. Let stand overnight. Next morning, empty into a
big bamboo basket. Drain out the water completely and spread the
paddy (in circular rings) in the shade on a clean floor.

Heat an earthen frying pan over a fire-wood oven. Roast the paddy,
taking 1 cup at a time. Turn it with a small-sized bundle of
coconut splinters ("Thennai Vilakkumaru"), using the stub end. When
the paddy begins to pop and burst, turn vigorously, till the
bursting stops. Pour it at once into a stone mortar and pound hard
with a big, heavy wooden (or iron) pestle, when still hot. Beat it
out into light, thin flakes. Winnow out the husk, sift the broken
ends, and keep the clean flakes in an airtight container.

Note: when two people pound it simultaneously by alternative
strokes, the flakes turn out better.


N.