Aval Puttu

Navratri is all about prayers, fun, dance, and leave it not – Food too. Irrespective of our geographical placement, we Indians try to pass our traditions to our family by all these. Food plays an integral part of any festival. Though we have evolved to try new recipes and techniques in our meal each day, there are traditional recipes that still are served. One such is the Aval puttu ( Poha Puttu). Puttu is one traditional recipe that is served in many parts of Tamilnadu on the Navratri Friday for Goddess Durga. This puttu is different from the Kerala puttu that is served with kadala curry. Usually, it is prepared with homemade rice flour and jaggery. It can also be prepared with store-bought rice flour.  Here I have prepared the same puttu with Aval/ Poha. The same process is followed except replacing rice flour with poha. Do try this tasty puttu and serve to the Goddess.
Servings: 4 yield(s)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Aval / Poha/ Flattened rice
  • 0.75 cup Jaggery Powder
  • 0.5 cup Water
  • 1 pinch Cardamom Powder
  • 1 tsp Cashews
  • 2 tbsp Grated Coconut
  • 1 tsp Ghee
  • 0.25 pinch Salt
Instructions
  1. Heat a Kadai and dry roast the poha/ Aval until they turn golden brown. This will take about 3 – 4 mins. Transfer to a plate and allow it to cool down.
  2. Once the poha/ Aval is cooled down, place in a mixer jar and pulse twice to get a coarse sooji/rava consistency. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle 3 or 4 tbsp of water with a pinch of salt and mix well. Cover the bowl with a lid and set aside.
  3. In the same Kadai, add a tsp of ghee and roast the cashew pieces to a golden brown. Set aside.
  4. Measure the 3/4th cup of jaggery and add it to the Kadai. Pour half a cup of water to it and allow it to dissolve.
  5. Filter the jaggery water for impurities and allow it to boil again. Let it thicken and reach a rolling ball consistency.
  6. Simmer the stove completely and add the Aval/ Poha to it. Mix well with the jaggery syrup. Add the leftover half tsp of ghee and grated coconut. It will come to a sand-like/ Puttu consistency within a few mins.
  7. Switch off the stove and garnish with roasted cashews.
Recipe Notes

  • The color of the puttu completely depends on the Jaggery color. You can choose either the block ones or the Jaggery balls.
  • You can use white or red Aval/ Poha for this. I have used a white one here.
  •  Do not grind the aval / Poha. It is enough to use the pulse button in your mixer to get a coarse powder.