Adhirasam

Adhirasam

 

Diwali wishes to all !  Wishing you all a happy , safe and dry Diwali ! The monsoon has drenched Chennai like it had never before and all the kids have their fingers crossed, hoping that the rains would end at least on the day of Diwali.  If you are like me, finding nothing better to do other than cooking on rainy days, here is 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. Atlast, I found it’s not so hard to give a try. I am grateful to Kanchana Mohan , my beloved friend and an awesome cook for giving exact steps and meticulous measures. I hope you will love the dish as much I did. Hope sparks fly when you get to taste some of the warm  adhirasams.

Happy DiwaliIngredients :

Raw rice – 2 cups

Jaggery – 1.5 cups, grated

Cardamom powder – 2 tsp

Sesame seeds – 3 tbsp

Oil to fry

Method:

Wash and soak the rice for 1- 2 hours.

Drain the rice very well and grind it in a mixer, one small batch at a time, to a fine powder.

Sieve the flour once and regrind if needed .

Adhirasam

Grate the jaggery, measure, and boil it in a pan with just enough water to cover the jaggery.

Once the jaggery melts, filter it in a stainless steel filter and throw away any impurities.

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.

Paagu

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.

adhirasam

Let the dough rest for an hour.

adhirasam

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.

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.

Adhirasam

 

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.

Adhirasam

 

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 .

Adhirasam

 

adhirasam

 

The nutty sesame seeds will add texture, the sweetness and goodness of jaggery will mesmerize you in  a trance. Enjoy warm adhirasams as you watch to see  if the rain stops to let you fire the crackers.

Adhirasam

 

Adhirasam
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.

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