Aval Recipes: How To Make

Vella Aval

For Gokulashtami In Minutes

Aval recipes don't get much simpler than vella aval, a Tamil Nadu special dish made for Janmashtami, Gokulashtami or Krishna Jayanti. Aval refers to poha, which is flattened rice made into a dessert with melted jaggery, a no-cook sweet. To prepare the aval for the sweet, it is washed until the water runs clear and it is soft. Then the poha is tossed with salt, cardamom powder, and a pinch of edible camphor, and the strained jaggery syrup is poured over, then left to sit for half an hour before the grated coconut is added. That edible camphor (pachai karpooram) is what gives vella aval its distinctive, almost ceremonial aroma, which is a major reason it's made as a Gokulashtami prasadam rather than just an everyday snack. Straining the jaggery syrup before it goes over the poha is important, since jaggery often contains small bits of sediment that can make it cloudy. The thick variety of poha is used here because it needs to retain its texture and not turn into mush after being prepared into a sweet. This is one of the minimalist aval recipes, and it's also vegan, but if you want that richness that comes with a festive dish, fry some cashews in ghee until they are golden to light brown, and fry raisins until they are puffed, then mix them in towards the end. The vella aval is paired with dahi poha (Gopalkala) with the Gokulashtami spread.