Maavilakku is an edible lamp made with rice flour and jaggery in auspicious occasions. Detailed instructions on how to make maa vilakku with tips, full video.

With Aadi month just couple of weeks away, I thought of sharing the process of making maavilakku mavu that I shot last year, in my drafts.
We make maavilakku mavu at my in-laws place just once in an year while we visit the temple in the month of Chithirai or Aadi.
For past few years, I wanted to learn this process so that I can follow the tradition later on.
Only twice I have tried this along my mami. Usually I never notice how it is made.
My mami also make it in other relative house where we stay before visiting temple, so never had opportunity to learn or I ignored.
Easy version
My mom recently gives a tip to prepare the mixture in a easy way. Where the fresh rice flour and the powdered jaggery is mixed and left overnight.
The next day, if we mix in the temple, the consistency is just right and made dough easily. We just have to add ghee if needed in this.
Otherwise, the regular procedure is prepare flour in the morning, Take flour and jaggery separately and mix both there with ghee as needed and made dough.
This way, the dough won't come together easily, so have to put a bit of effort to make balls and hold shape.
Top tip
- Do not let rice flour dry too much, keep in a closed container, gently pressed.
- Ghee can be adjusted so that it helps in binding the flour.
- After ½ cup jaggery, add jaggery carefully so that we don't add more. The rolled ball should be stiff in order to hold its shape for long time. So stop kneading accordingly.
- In our family, we make few number of maavilakku so we make more quantity.
- Make sure jaggery is powdered well. Usually we grate using aruvamanai or grater. You can also break without lumps.
- Paagu vellam gets easily melt. You can use naatu sakkarai for easy shortcut.
- Use the coarse remains in the sieve while grinding rice in the consecutive next batches. Do not discard anything.
Related posts
- Ulundhu kali recipe
- Thengai payasam recipe
- Panchamirtham recipe
- Aadi koozh recipe
- Karthigai deepam recipes
- Sambar podi recipe
I know it's been a week since I posted any recipes in my blog as I was on a short trip to India with a tight schedule as usual.
And I did shooting few episodes for Puthuyugam Tv (Tamil Channel) Rusikkalam vanga cooking show.
It is aired every Monday 1 PM and 5:30 PM, also uploaded in their youtube channel. my first episode🙂
Recipe card
Maavilakku recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice Pacharisi
- ½ cup Jaggery powdered, you can use upto ¾ cup
- 2 Cardamom powdered
- ¼ teaspoon Dry ginger powder
- Ghee as needed
Instructions
- Soak rice for minimum one hour or upto 3 hrs.1 cup Rice
- Drain water and spread in a clean white cloth for 10 mins.
- Grind this rice in mixer to a fine flour and sieve.
- Take the rice flour in a mixing bowl, add well powdered jaggery to it and mix well.½ cup Jaggery
- Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, 1 tablespoon ghee and keep mixing.2 Cardamom, ¼ teaspoon Dry ginger powder, Ghee as needed
- The mixture should not be too wet like chapati dough, it should be on dry side so that you need effort to roll and hold it's shape. If it is wet more like a dough, it won't hold shape later.
- Keep kneading, the jaggery will melt in hand heat and you will be able to make a dough.
- Make a ball and place over clean banana leaf. Make a dent on top, decorate with kumkum and add ghee. Place a wick and lit the lamp.
Video
Notes
- Adding more ghee, jaggery will make the dough ball too loose and wont hold shape.
- As a trouble shooting, you can put the whole mixture in a new round lunch box, lit the lamp as such in it, instead of making balls.
Stepwise photos
1. Soak rice for minimum one hour or up to 3 hrs. Drain water and spread in a clean white cloth for 10 mins.
2. Grind this rice in mixer to a fine flour and sieve.
3. Take the rice flour in a mixing bowl, add well powdered jaggery to it and mix well. Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, 1 tablespoon ghee and keep mixing.
The mixture should not be too wet like chapati dough, it should be on dry side so that you need effort to roll and hold it's shape. If it is wet more like a dough, it won't hold shape later.
4. The jaggery will melt in hand heat and you will be able to make a dough.
5. Make a ball and place over clean banana leaf. Make a dent on top, decorate with kumkum and add ghee. Place a wick and lit the lamp.
Place the dough lamp always on a clean banana leaf, in front of God. We draw kolam in front of it. Offer vetrilai paaku, banana, incense stick, break coconut.
ranjani
Hey Raji..i have been following your recipes for a long time and most of your recipes are my daughter's favorite.i usually search your website first to try a new recipe or to cook something traditional during festival..Got a chance to see your cookery show on a Tamil tv channel and it was so good..keep up the good work and post more recipes 🙂
Anusha Madhavan
Good Luck for the TV show Raji !!
You look so calm and composed answering questions and cooking simultaneously..also nice to see you and hear your voice.
Great going.. keep it up !
Raks Kitchen
Thanks a lot 🙂
Harini Kumarasamy
CONGRATS RAJI.....EXCELLENT...
Raks Kitchen
Thank you 🙂
Thava
Hi raji I am following your blog for a very long time.. You have come a very long way. Feel so happy and excited to see you. Congrats
Ramya Prakash
Please provide us a mobile app too 🙂 i refer to your blog for many of the cooking expeditions 🙂 thanks a lot.