Aval Velayichathu | Aval Varrattiyathu | Sweet Poha

One of the common sweet dishes in Kerala is the aval velayichathu(sweet poha). In some places, it's known as aval pani  or aval varratiyathu.Usually during my hostel stay in college, my mom used to prepare it for me as this could be stored for days in airtight containers. My friends wait my comeback eagerly after holidays to taste their aunt's aval velayichathu..And storing?? Never got a chance to store for long, and would finish off in 1 or 2 days.
                                 

Oh! I took you all back to the college times.. was so much fun and fewer worries.Now, life has changed a lot with family.So, just brushed this out to feed my kids a new recipe. Aval veliyachathu is a familiar recipe with Keralites, a very healthy one for kids.It's usually prepared using beaten rice, coconut and jaggery ;garnished with all nuts.

Ingredients                                                                                                         
beaten rice/poha/aval(thin)  2 cups(refer notes)
coconut grated 1 1/4 cups
jaggery 1 cup grated
cumin seeds / cumin powder 1/2 tsp
cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
                                                      

for garnishing
chana daliya/ pottu kadala 1/3 cup
peanuts/kappalandi  1/3 cup
cashews 1/3 cup
raisins 1/3 cup

sliced coconuts 1/4 cup
curry leaves 2 sprigs
ghee 2 tbsp

Watch on YouTube (I have doubled this recipe and prepared in video)-

Method

• Soak the jaggery in 1/2 cup of water and boil until dissolved.Strain the impurities and keep aside.
• Place a non stick pan and dry roast the coconut till the moisture is dried and don't wait to dry roast it well. A wilted coconut with no moisture like is correct consistency.However in case you need to store long then you may dry roast the coconut well.Drain on a plate.
• In the same pan,add the beaten rice and warm it up,keep aside.

• Heat ghee in a pan and fry all the nuts until slightly browned and add in the curry leaves,fry and drain on a plate. Keep aside.
• In another thick bottomed pan and pour the jaggery syrup. Keep stirring on medium flame till large bubbles appear. Check the pani /jaggery mix for correct consistency. (place between your thumb and index finger,it should have thread consistency or drop a little in a bowl with cold water,it tends to form a soft ball or a soft line).

• Add the beaten rice and coconut to the pani(jaggery) and mix well. Add all the garnishing and mix well. Keep stirring till the beaten rice starts to leave from the sides of the utensil. Sweet poha is ready to serve.

NOTES
*Don't mix the poha till the pani/jaggery has reached correct consistency.
*Store in air tight containers for future use.
* You can even use oil instead of ghee if u wish. You can use ghee plus coconut oil too.
* I used the red colored (kerala  style)beaten rice thin ones,you can use the regular white ones. But if you are using thick aval then the jaggery syrup needed may be more as it soaks up more. It better to use thin flakes for this snack.
* You can even add sliced coconuts for added crunch.