Aval Unda, or Poha Laddu, is a traditional Kerala snack made with flattened rice (aval), jaggery, coconut, and roasted peanuts. Often prepared as a quick evening snack or a light sweet bite with tea, this laddu is simple, wholesome, and rooted in the flavors of home. It’s naturally sweetened with jaggery and doesn’t require any elaborate cooking techniques-just a bit of roasting, grinding, and shaping.
The preparation begins by dry roasting aval on low heat until it turns crisp and gives off a gentle nutty aroma. Care should be taken not to over-roast or brown it. Once cooled, the roasted aval is coarsely ground in a mixer. It should remain slightly textured rather than being powdered too fine.
Peanuts, another key ingredient, are roasted separately until golden. Once cooled, their skins are removed by rubbing them between the palms. These peanuts are also coarsely ground, giving the laddu a delightful crunch and added depth of flavor. The coarse peanut powder is then mixed with the aval powder to form the dry base of the unda.
Fresh grated coconut is lightly sautéed to reduce moisture and enhance its flavor. In a small pan, jaggery is melted with a little water to form a thick syrup. This syrup is strained (if needed) and added to the aval-peanut mixture along with the sautéed coconut. A touch of cardamom powder is stirred in at the end to give the mixture a soft, fragrant finish.
While still warm and pliable, the mixture is shaped into small balls using greased palms. If the mix feels too dry to bind properly, a spoonful of warm ghee or a sprinkle of hot water can be added.
Aval Unda keeps well for a couple of days in an airtight container. It’s a great after-school snack for kids, a travel-friendly bite, or just something to nibble on with a cup of black tea or chai. Nutty, mildly sweet, and made without any refined sugar or flour, this snack is both nostalgic and nourishing.
While it may not be flashy, Aval Unda has an honest charm-a taste of Kerala’s kitchen traditions passed down quietly through generations.
Aval Unda
Ingredients
Instructions
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Aval Unda or Poha Laddu is an easy Indian snack with the richness of iron and protein. So Let’s start.
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First of all, dry roast Rice Flakes til it become crispy.
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Next we will dry roast Peanuts (if not roasted) and remove the skin.
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Next we will roast Coconut for a minute.
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First, we will make peanuts to a semi coarse powder.
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Then we will add Rice flakes, grated Coconut, Jaggery, and Cardamom powder to the blender and again make powder
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In a pan heat Ghee, add the mixture and saute for a minute
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Flame off and let it cool for some time. When the temperature reach at a stage , we could handle it, Make a smooth dough with added ghee if required
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Make small ball with the dough
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Aval Unda is ready