Aval Laddu
Aval Laddu also known as poha ladoo are festive sweet balls made with flattened rice, jaggery and ghee. These are nutritious, delicious & make a great guilt-free snack. Poha is flattened rice and a staple in Indian cuisine. It is used to make various sweet and savory dishes. Poha is known as Aval in Tamil and atukulu in Telugu. So these are also known as Aval ladoo in Tamil and Atukula Ladoo in Telugu.
Poha ladoo are a popular sweet made during Krishna Jayanti, the Hindu God. It is said that Lord Krishna loved poha. So dishes made with it are prepared and offered to him especially on his birthday which is celebrated as Krishna Jayanthi.
Most South Indian homes make Sweet Poha, Aval Payasam, Butter Murukku & Thattaialong with aval laddu. You can also offer these during the puja and share with your friends & relatives. These Aval laddu are quick to make and turn out delicious. Many years ago, I made this recipe for a health magazine & thought of sharing it here as well. I have been making this for many years now and these also go well in the kids’ school box.
To make these poha ladoo, you can use any kind of poha – thick, thin, white, red, all go well. But the taste of the red poha ladoo is different. They have a nuttier aroma and go well in these ladoos. For the binding I used ghee, but milk can also be used. Jaggery and ghee go well rather than jaggery and milk. If making aval ladoo using sugar, you may use milk
Just to keep them simple I have made these with only a few ingredients. You can also use roasted peanuts, fried gram, fresh coconut or almonds for variation.
How to make Aval Laddu
Preparation
1. Heat a heavy bottom pan and dry roast 1 cup aval / poha until they turn crunchy.
2. Add half cup desiccated coconut and Switch off the stove. Take care not to burn. If using fresh coconut, transfer aval to a plate first and then saute coconut in little ghee until you begin to smell good.
3. Cool and then powder it. If using whole cardamom, you can add them to poha and powder. A fine poha powder binds well, while making balls. If the powder is coarse ladoo breaks quickly.
4. Add ¾ cup jaggery and cardamom powder if not added earlier. Please note that store bought powdered jaggery is different from ball jaggery. So you may need more or less powdered jaggery. You may start with only half cup. If using sugar, powder the sugar first and then add the poha.
5. Blend well and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Make Poha Ladoo
6. Heat ¼ cup ghee and fry nuts and raisins. Add the ghee to the powdered poha. Take small portions and press down with your fingers to form balls. If your balls don’t bind, heat more ghee and add. If you want to use milk, just warm up and use it. Take small portions and roll them to balls. If using milk use up right away or at least on same day.
Poha ladoo keep good for 7 to 10 days at room temperature, if made using ghee.