Adhirasam
Author: 
 
An authentic recipe to try, a “Must Have” sweet on Diwali . A sweet with 5 simple ingredients, often not braved by beginners, yet a treat enjoyed by all ages.
Ingredients
  • Raw rice – 2 cups
  • Jaggery – 1.5 cups, grated
  • Cardamom powder – 2 tsp
  • Sesame seeds – 3 tbsp
  • Oil to fry
Method
  1. Wash and soak the rice for 1- 2 hours.
  2. Drain the rice very well and grind it in a mixer, one small batch at a time, to a fine powder.
  3. Sieve the flour once and regrind if needed .
  4. Grate the jaggery, measure, and boil it in a pan with just enough water to cover the jaggery.
  5. Once the jaggery melts, filter it in a stainless steel filter and throw away any impurities.
  6. Return the jaggery to the pan. The syrup is ready when you drop a spoon of the syrup in a bowl of water, it should coagulate into a soft ball , but not disperse right away . At the same time, if it forming a well rounded ball, it needs more water to correct it. If the syrup becomes too thick, the adhirasam will become crispy and brittle.
  7. Place the rice flour, add sesame seeds, cardamom powder in a broad bowl , add the hot syrup , use a spoon to mix and knead with hand once it cools a little bit.
  8. Let the dough rest for an hour.
  9. Heat oil in a heavy bottom vessel, keeping the heat in simmer, press the dough into small discs using a greased banana leaf / oil paper and fry them in oil . When you drop them , let it cook , don’t disturb them and turn them over for once and let the other side cook well.
  10. Ladle out adhirasam one by one , press the excess oil between two slotted ladles. Place them one over the other on a flat bottom vessel flipped around, place another flat bottom vessel over it and squeeze the excess oil out.
  11. As the jaggery caramelizes, the adhirasams would become brown and glazy, so, keep the flame at low at all times to not to char the sweet. The color of the adhirasam will solely depend upon on the color of the jaggery you use, so ‘don’t judge the book by its cover’, taste and confirm the doneness of the sweet.
  12. Place paper towels on bottom of a wide pan, place a tall cylindrical vessel in the middle and let the adhirasams rest over the vessel. The excess oil would ooze out leaving you an ungreasy delight .
  13. The nutty sesame seeds will add texture, the sweetness and goodness of jaggery will mesmerize you in a trance. Enjoy your warm adhirasams.
Recipe by Cook Food, Serve Love at https://cookfoodservelove.com/adhirasam/