Avalakki Payasa/ Poha kheer with jaggery & coconut milk

Avalakki/ Poha/ thin rice flakes are so versatile, which can be turned into varieties of sweet or savory dishes. Avalakki usli, oggarane avalakki, gojjavalakki, sweet avalakki, avalakki laddoo to name few. Avalakki is believed to be lord Krishna’s favorite! What if we can make some delicious dessert, nothing but avalakki payasa / Aval payasam/ poha kheer? It is a real delicious sweet one can churn out in very less time. It is a wonderful option of Krishna Janmashtami Neivedyam. Let me share my recipe here with you. It is made with coconut milk and jaggery.

This one can be made in short period of time as it does not require much of cooking time like payasa/ kheer made with lentils/ dals such as moong dal/ gram dal or even rice. So try this sometimes when you have sudden guests at home. You can speed up the process if you have coconut milk/ coconut cream ready in your kitchen.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Paper avalakki/ thin poha – 1 cup/ 2 fistful

Thick coconut milk – 1 cup

Thin coconut milk – 2 cups

Jaggery powder/ grated jaggery – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp

Nuts of choice (Cashews, pista) – 2 -3 tsp/ garnishing

Ghee – 1 tsp

Method:

• Grate fresh coconut & extract thick milk, keep aside.
• Pour 2 cups of water to the same coconut meal & extract second & third milk (thin).
• Take this thin coconut milk in a thick bottomed vessel, bring to boil.
• Meanwhile, prepare jaggery syrup in a separate vessel by boiling the jaggery powder and ½ cup of water.
• Run the jaggery syrup through a sieve to the boiling coconut milk. This is to remove impurities in the jaggery.
• Now quickly wash the poha or thin avalakki with running water carefully, add it to the boiling milk & jaggery mix.
• When it boils, add thick coconut milk, cardamom powder.
• Switch off the heat when it starts bubbling. Do not boil the payasa for long after adding thick coconut milk.
• Fry the nuts in ghee till cashews turn golden color. Garish the payasa with fried nuts. Serve hot & delicious payasa.