Dry roast aval/ poha till crunchy. Set this aside. Add coconut and fry till you begin to smell good. Cool these completely.
Transfer this to a blender along with cardamoms. Make a fine powder, add jaggery and blend well again. If using sugar then powder the sugar first and then powder the poha coconut. Transfer this to the plate.
Heat a pan with ghee, add cashews, fry till they turn golden, and add raisins. Switch off the stove.
Pour this to the poha mixture. Mix everything well and take portions of this to your hands. Press down with your fingers to form balls.
If the mixture is dry and does not bind,, heat more ghee and add. If using milk, replace ghee with milk for binding. Dry roast nuts and use. Use milk only if using sugar and not jaggery.
Store aval laddu in air tight jar.