One of my fav “Nalumani Palaharam” (tea time snacks) while growing up. Though it’s considered as a tea time snack, I used to have it for breakfast and lunch also. During my childhood days, whenever there was a big family get together, Aval Vilayichathu was one of the regular items. Since it can be made in advance and stored, it was always a go to recipe for huge gatherings. It’s always a good snack to have when you’ve a battalion of hungry kids to feed :)
Sometimes I get mails, asking for recipes which can be used for road trips. This dish stays fresh for 2-3 days at room temp, so if you are looking for a snack for your road trips, this is a good one.
Here you go with the recipe…
Dry roast the sesame seeds and keep it aside, In the same pan, heat ghee and fry, roasted gram dal (till you get the roasted smell) and coconut bits (till it turns golden brown) separately…
Melt jaggery with 1/3 cup water and strain it. Add grated coconut to this and cook on low flame. Cook till the jaggery reduces a bit and the mixture becomes a semi dry consistency…
Add aval and roasted ingredients to the coconut jaggery mixture. Cook on low flame for 3-4 mins, stir continuously. Remove from fire and keep stirring for 2-3 mins. Add crushed cardamom and mix well…
- Aval (beaten brown rice flakes) - 250 gms
- Jaggery - 250 gms
- Grated coconut - 1.5 cups
- Coconut bits (Thengakothu) - ½ cup
- Black sesame seeds - ½ - 1 tbsp
- Roasted gram dal (pottu kadala) - ⅓ cup
- Crushed cardamom - 3
- Ghee - 1.5 - 2 tbsp
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry black sesame seeds (lightly), roasted gram dal (till you get the roasted smell) and coconut bits (till it turns golden brown) separately.
- Melt jaggery with ⅓ cup water and strain it.
- Add grated coconut to this and cook on low flame. Cook till the jaggery reduces a bit and the mixture becomes a semi dry consistency.
- Add aval and roasted ingredients to the coconut jaggery mixture. Cook on low flame for 3-4 mins, stir continuously. Remove from fire and keep stirring for 2-3 mins. Add crushed cardamom and mix well. Cover and keep for 20-25 mins.
- You can eat it as it is or serve with banana.
Make sure not to cook the mixture for long after adding Aval, overcooking may harden the Aval.
If you want, you can add 1-2 tsp of ghee while cooking jaggery and coconut mixture.
Once it is cooled completely, you can store it in an airtight container in fridge for a month or so. Keep at room temp for 25-30 mins before serving or MW for a min or so. You can also store it at room temp in an airtight container for 2-3 days.