Aval Vilayichathu (Sweetened Rice Flakes)

• 1-1/2 cup Jaggery (unrefined, Whole Cane Sugar)
• 1/2 cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Ghee
• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Flakes Or Slices
• 1/4 cups Chana Gram Dal
• 1/4 cups Cashews
• 1 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
• 2 whole Crushed Cardamom Pods
• 2 cups Rice Flakes

1. Put your jaggery pieces in a saucepan with the water. Bring to boil, and keep boiling until the jaggery melts in the water and becomes liquid. Take off heat and keep aside.
2. Heat ghee in a deep sided and heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add coconut flakes, dal and cashews and brown them over medium heat. Once browned, pour the jaggery liquid into this,
3. Add the coconut to the mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the liquid becomes a syrup of single thread consistency (when syrup drops from a spoon, it forms thin threads in water). On a candy thermometer, this reads 223u0b0 F.
4. Switch off heat. Mix in the powdered cardamom.
5. In intervals, using a wooden spoon, slowly add in the rice flakes, coating each addition fully, and continuing until all of the rice flakes are glazed and covered.
6. It makes a large amount, but keeps well, unrefrigerated for a week or two.
7. Notes:
8. This is basically an Indian preparation, so most of the ingredients can be purchased at any Indian grocer.

jaggery, water, ghee, coconut flakes or slices, ubc, ubc, unsweetened coconut, rice flakes

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/aval-vilayichathu-sweetened-rice-flakes/ (may not work)