Aval Kesari (Poha Sheera)

Aval Kesari (Poha Sheera) by DK on Sep 23, 2015

Rice Flakes Sweet | Krishna Jayanthi Recipes

If I had to name one striking difference between my mother and I, then it would be our liking for sweets/desserts. While her face turns into such a blissful joy at its sight, mine turns into agony when forced to gulp down anything more than a teaspoon! Down the years I have learned to be more tolerant - even to the extent of enjoying few; but I am far from earning a tag of a "sweet lover". And now with a husband and a kid who seem to share my palate for sweets, I am given no incentive to change my perspective.

Enter my mom (who is visiting us) and things start to smell pleasantly different in my kitchen. Given that I don't make many sweets, I totally suck at Indian desserts. My mom looks at my poor blog repertoire and after a thousand "tch, tch" is all set to rectify it :). First making its appearance is this utterly simple sweet made using rice flakes called Aval in Tamil. Kesari / Sheera is another term for what westerners know as Halva or pudding. This one tastes very mildly of rice flakes with a smooth texture. It's richness comes from the addition of Ghee and aromatics by way of saffron and cardamom. Few ingredients, few minutes and minimal effort is all that it takes to make this simple yet festive dessert.

Cook time: Under 15 min
Prep time: Under 15 min
Serves: 2-3 people
Yields: About 1 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup Aval (thick Rice Flakes)
1/3 - 1/2 cup Sugar - see Tips
1 cup Water
1 tbsp Ghee, or as needed
1 tbsp broken Cashews
Pinch of Saffron
1/8th tsp Cardamom powder
Few drops of Orange/Yellow (vegetarian) Food Coloring - optional

Tips

1. Sugar: The amount of sugar will depend on your preference. We used just a little under 1/2 cup and it was perfect for my parents. But for my husband, me and my little one it was too sweet and would have found 1/3 cup perfect. So depending on how much sweeter you like your desserts, add sugar accordingly. We have used Organic Cane sugar in this recipe

Method

1. Dry roast rice flakes (Aval) for a minute. You don't want it to change color, just lightly roasted. This helps to reduce the raw smell along with adding ease while grinding into perfect texture. Cool.

2. Add this to a food processor

3. and grind into coarse meal (rava consistency). Few pulses should do it. Set aside.

4. In the same skillet, add 2 tsp ghee and roast the cashews. Remove the cashews and set aside.

5. My mother used the remaining ghee in the skillet to roast the coarse Aval to add aroma and flavor.

6. Set aside.

7. Add the water to the same pan and let it come to a boil. When ready, add the roasted aval back to the pan.

8. Stir to combine and cook the aval until soft.

9. Soon you will notice that it has absorbed all the water. You can touch/taste the aval to see if it has softened completely.

10. Now add the required amount of sugar. See my Tips section before adding it.

11. Stir to combine and prevent any lumps.

12. When it starts to thicken, add saffron, cardamom, food coloring (if using) and any remaining ghee. You can add some more Ghee if liked. It not only adds to the flavor but also gives the kesari a glossy/smooth appearance and texture.