Aval Recipes For Janmashtami: Sample This Maharashtrian Gopalkala

(Dahi Poha)

Recipe

Aval recipes are something that has a spike in searches en masse during Janmashtami. Dahi poha or Gopalkala is one such recipe, which is a simple, no-cook dish, featuring aval or poha, curd, and cucumber mixed and finished with a quick ghee-jeera tempering, and that's essentially it. The mix of aval, which is flattened rice and curd is the traditional Maharashtrian way of turning the two into something offered to Krishna as prasad rather than eaten as a simple meal, and the name is drawn from Krishna's cowherd (Gopal) associations. One of the easiest aval recipes you can fix, this Janmashtami, all you need to do is wash the poha, drain the water, then mix it with curd. Add the chopped cucumber, salt, and a pinch of sugar, and mix them in too. You just need to heat a pan for the tempering with a bit of ghee, in which cumin seeds, green chilli, and finely chopped ginger are fried. Then this is added to the aval mix along with grated coconut and mixed. Most aval recipes for Janmashtami feature the thicker poha variety, not thin, so the texture of the flattened rice is retained and it doesn't turn into mush. You can also adjust the curd quantity based on how thick or thin you want the Gopalkala to be. This quick recipe is perfect for a weeknight after work, when one wishes to prepare something for that evening's Janmashtami offering, but is short on time and energy.