Sand

Sand,that's the stuff we used to build castles and play in when we were kids.Last week my mother unearthed a recipe that we had long ceased to use.Its a old recipe that's common to most homes in kerala,used as a common snack or as a celebration dish depending on the mood of the maker.
Its called "avalospodi" and is made from rice.The rice grains have to be soaked in water for about an hour and then left to dry(semi dry).Its then ground coarsely and roasted adding grated coconut and whole cumin seeds.A little salt to bring out the flavours is added. Its roasted till golden brown and then served with sugar which is mixed into it.As children my friends called it sand.Recently I met a friend after many years and the first thing she remembered was "sand".Does your mom still make sand she asked as an opening line.Funnily enough my mom had made sand two days ago and then made it onto little laddoos by mixing the sand with some ghee.Then she makes a syrup using jaggery,adds a bit of dry ginger powder.When the syrup is warm but not hot,she add the sand into it,rolls it into ladoos and then coats it with rice flower.Luckily we had enough to share with my friend and we couldn't believe how we had unearthed it just in time for her arrival.