Aval halwa is a delicious dish, which my grandmother used to serve piping hot when we returned from school.
What you need
Flat aval - 4 cups
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Sugar/Jaggery - 1cup
Ghee - 3/4 cup
Milk - 2 cups
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Cashewnuts, raisins, almonds - a handful
Cardamom, powdered - two pinches
Saffron – 1/2 tsp
Cooking instructions
Clean the aval. Take 3 tablespoons of ghee in a kadai and fry the aval on a slow flame. Cool for a few minutes.
Add 2 cups of milk, stir and cook on a low flame. Slip in the saffron strands.
When the aval becomes a soft mass, add the sugar and ghee and keep stirring till the halwa leaves the sides of the kadai.
Remove from the stove.
Fry the cashew nuts, almonds and raisins and blend with the halwa. Alternately you could freeze a cup of mixed cashewnuts, raisins and almonds for a few minutes and powder them in the blender.
Add the cardamom powder and edible camphor (optional) and stir well.
Serve hot.
Preethe Moorthy is an engineering graduate whose interests are glass painting, drawing and cooking.