Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Aval Nanachathu/Beaten Rice snack with Jaggery and coconut

This is one of the simplest snacks ever, and makes me nostalgic. My granny used to make this as our evening snack. Out of the school bus my sister and I would fly up the stairs to our house, and right on to the dining table laden with snacks. Gee! Do you remember how hungry one is coming back from school? Oh! I would be so famished, I would grab any food in front of me forgetting I had not even washed my hands. Ok.. don’t tell my daughter I told you that.

Aval (beaten rice) used to be catered to my family by Muthu. He was a Tamilian lad, probably a young man now and if you reading it Muthu, thank you. How some food and flavors bring back memories of a different place and some people ceases to surprise me. I have never thought of Muthu until just now when I start to write about Aval.

A lot of brands now sell aval but while I was growing up it was a rarity. Muthu would come in his mundu and shirt just when we needed aval and it never went without a comment from my mom “I wonder how he knows that I have just finished my stock of Aval.”


Aval Nanchathu

It is best when you take this with some plantain.

Aval Nanchathu

Ingredients:

Aval/Beaten rice- 2 cups
Grated Jaggery- 1 cup
Grated coconut- 1 cup
Jeera/Cumin- 1 tsp
Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp

Method:

1.Mix the grated coconut and jaggery well using your fist.
2.Throw in the jeera and cardamom and mix again.
3.Mix in the aval using your hands, as if you are kneading the dough, until everything is mixed well.
4.Keep it closed for some time till the aval absorbs all the moisture and becomes soft and puffs up.

Notes:

1.I used brown poha/aval.White one is fine too.
2.If you don't have jaggery, use white/brown sugar.
3.Do not add any water at all.If you are in a hurry just sprinkle a few spoons of milk.
4.Fresh grated coconut works best for this, since the moisture from coconut plays a major role in softening the aval.

Aval Nanchathu

38 comments:

  1. Oh yes i remember mom used to make this very often for us after school too and yeah i remember how hungry one was after school. Wish one could hogg food like the same way we did that time, now if i do i think i will get 100 kg :-)

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  2. that is a cool one!!

    write up and recipe....nostalgic indeed!!

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  3. Nami..it was Muthu who used to sell us aval too..I could so very well relate to aunty's words, how does muthu knows we just finished the aval stock as i have heard my mom and grandmom say the sam ething..haha, ore muthu akumo entho...

    Enthayalum adiopli snack anu, enikivide brwon aval kittila, njan white aval konda epol undakaru, oru muthu americayilottum vannirunenkil alle :-P

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  4. Ur post ws really sweet..brought bk lot of memories :)looks thakarpan!

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  5. I actually would have had aval nanachathu once or twice...and not too fond of it.. but looking at that pic i am now craving some:)

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  6. After school snack annu e dish. Adipoli.

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  7. yummy snack..simply love it..enikivide brown aval kittila, only white..ethu kandidittu kothiaavunnu.

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  8. Oooooo, so crispy...I can devour bowlfuls of that...coconut, bananas,rice...everything nice

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  9. Oh! Wow! It just remembers me of my childhood in my native with my cousins and aunts. This is our favourite snack or most of the time we have this for our breakfast.

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  10. great looking snack, never had anything like this before.

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  11. Ethu kandittu kuttikalathe ormakal varunnu..Great post..

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  12. we make similar never added cumin delicious

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  13. So crispy looking snack. Would like to have entire bowl.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  14. Would like to have this snack during my tv hour! Pass me a jar full...;)

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  15. Nami,nice post da.ethu ente achan undakana snack anu.ethil chelapo onion oke edum.entha oru taste.yummmm..

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  16. school days oorma varunnu.. evening snack aayirunnu ethu.. nalla poovan pazham koode undel.. kothi aakunnu..

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  17. My fav eve snack....nice clicks ur version sounds interesting

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  18. This is new to me...I am doing an Indian week atm perhaps I should make some Indian dessert too!

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  19. such a sweet memory associated with ur quick and tasty snack, such an apt preparation for kids.
    FOODELICIOUS

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  20. ente favorite annu...yummy and perfect!

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  21. It's a kids' favourite dish! So droolworthy and nice!

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  22. SImple, quick and droolworthy dish..

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  23. Even now this is a staple evening snack in my home. I buy the thick variety from India and because of that texture I wash the aval in warm water and drain completely before adding the rest of the ingredients....no cumin in mine.I have noted that and next time will drop some cumin in.
    And so true...memories linked with certain food just pop up from nowhere:)

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  24. This preparation is new for me...looks good and easy to make.

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  25. Something completely new to me...looks quite tasty.

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  26. As a kid i use to stick to sugar instead of Jaggery, am drooling seeing the pic...great virtual treat Gulmohar :)

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  27. Very interesting and delicious looking dish. I have never seen it before but it sounds so good. The foods that bring back nice memories are the best:)

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  28. makes me nostalgic too...looks so perfect and yummy!!enikku ippo venam..
    eppozhenkilum onnu varanam ...herad its such a beautiful place...

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  29. Wow!!! Whata crispy and yummy Snack!

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