Aval Nanachathu - Beaten Rice with Jaggery and Coconut

Aval means beaten rice. It is mixed with jaggery, cocunut, cardamom and chuku and at the end you get a delicious snack which is tasty as well as healthy. You can also add dry fruits like raisins and cashew nuts to take it to another level.

My grandma used to make it whenever we  visited her (we means me and my sister). That was long time back.  My aval nanachathu is nothing compared to hers, to be honest.
 

How I wish I could go back in time, to be with my grand parents, listen to  their stories again,  sitting in the open verandah and eating the sweet delicious mango  from the backyard. Hmm..I can still hear the waves and the birds singing one of their favorite songs and the sound of wind rustling through the cocunut trees. How I wish I could just be there and never return..

Well, I have a job to do here, right?  Let me finish this first and I can time travel once I am done.

So here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Aval (beater rice) - 3 cups

Jaggery  - 4 -5 cubes
Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Chuku - 1 tsp

Cocunut - 1 cup

cocunut slices - 1/3 cup

Raisins & cashew nuts - a few (optional)

This is how I make it:

Take aval in a colander and run some water through it in order to soften.

Melt the jaggery and strain to take away all the impurities.

Now pour the melted jaggery into a saucepan and simmer, once it starts simmering,      lower the flame.

Add the cocunut, chuku, cardamom and cocunut slices and mix well with the jaggery.

Add the softened aval and mix well.

Add the dry fruits.

Voila..Aval Nanachathu is ready to be served. Enjoy!!