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adhirasam
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4.86 from 7 votes

Adhirasam recipe

Adhirasam is a traditional Deepavali snack made in Tamil Nadu. Learn how to make adhirasam with quick video and step by step photos.
Prep Time3 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Resting time1 d
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 20 Adhirasams

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups Raw rice I used sona masuri
  • 1 cup Jaggery
  • 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds Optional (we usually do not add but tried once)
  • 2 pinches Dry ginger powder
  • 2 pinches Cardamom powder
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee
  • Oil as needed for deep frying

Instructions

Make fresh rice flour

  • Wash the rice firstly and soak for 3 hours.
  • Drain, spread in a white cotton cloth for 10 mins. Do not let it dry for long time as it will give rubbery adhirasam. Moisture should be there if you touch the rice (few will stick to hands here and there).
  • Grind it in 2 batches in a mixer to a flour. Wipe down the sides to ensure even powdering.
  • Sieve it. My MIL and mom uses rava jalladai (sieve) for this, so I understand its important for the some flour to be slightly on coarse side.
  • While you sieve, keep the flour pressed and covered. That is after you sieve and transfer the flour to a narrow container, press it gently so that it locks the moisture and keep covered always so that flour doesn't  get dried.

Making jaggery syrup

  • Meanwhile, powder the jaggery and heat it with water just to immerse the jaggery.
  • Once its completely dissolved, filter it to remove impurities. Again start heating the jaggery syrup.
  • Boil in medium flame always and stir occasionally.
  • Keep checking the syrup consistency by pouring in water kept in a small bowl.
  • At beginning stage, the syrup dissolves as you pour in water, then at next stage, it will lay a fine thread in the water, but gets dissolved when you touch.
  • After that, at one stage, the syrup gets thicker and when you pour in water, then it wont get dissolved and you will be able to gather it with your fingers and form a loose ball that stays in hand.
  • This is called soft ball consistency and this is the stage, you have to put off the fire. Immediately pour it to the flour little by little. Add sesame seeds if adding, cardamom powder and dry ginger powder to the flour.
  • You may need not all the jaggery syrup for sure. So be careful after you add ¾th of the syrup and keep mixing with a ladle or spatula.
  • The syrup should be super hot directly used from stove for soft results.
  • Mix well for at least 3 mins. The dough should be gooey and on sticky side and it should be very very loose (pouring consistency).
  • After about some hours, it will get absorbed and get stiff.
  • Keep it overnight (2 days if possible, for better result) at room temperature in an airtight container. You can keep it as such for 2-3 days.
  • If more than that, keep refrigerated. But let it be out overnight atleast for a day.
  • At the time of making, divide into equal sized balls, each of small lemon sized. You can use sesame oil when you roll as the dough will be slightly sticky.
  • Heat oil in kadai and once it is hot, reduce the flame to low. In a ziploc, grease it with a drop of ghee and flatten the dough thick. Carefully slide in oil.
  • Once it rises up, immediately flip it and cook. Once it turns golden brown, drain from oil.
  • You must use another ladle and press it to squeeze out the excess oil as shown, as it may retain some oil in it.
  • Repeat the process for the rest of the dough. Oil should always be in low or medium if needed.

Video

Notes

  • Too much water to the jaggery will take time to bring to the required consistency, but too very little water make the stages of syrup pass too fast and end up in past stage. This will make adhirsam dissolve in oil. Too much jaggery ratio makes the adhirsam dissolve in oil. 
  • The dough should be very loose when you make adhirsam. If it is stiff, then your adhirsam will become hard and chewy. So you have to add a tblsp of milk and knead the dough well again and try making. This will ensure the adhirsam to be soft.
  • Keep the dough ATLEAST  overnight at room temperature. Do not take our from the fridge and make immediately. Bring to room temperature.
  • The rice while grinding should be moist, retain water, also the sieved flour  should not get dry. Otherwise the adhirasam will get crispy.
  • If you flatten so thin, the adhirsam will turn very crisp. So make it thick.
  • Cook in low flame to make sure it gets cooked evenly and also make sure not to over cook which makes the adhirsam harder.
  • Flip immediately once the it rises up after you add the adhirsam in oil.
  • Use ghee when flattening each adhirsam.
  • The jaggery syrup will be needed depending upon the quality of rice, some need more, some need less. So for safer side, make more. So the given quantity will be more, so keep that in mind.
  • In case, you adhirsam is chewy or hard, steam it for 3 minutes in idli plate/ steamer. It becomes soft. Just for troubleshooting.
    Will add more tips as I remember or more from my MIL and mom :)
  • My MIL brings the syrup to soft ball consistency, put the flame to low and adds the flour and mix, switches off the flame. I add syrup to the floor off fire.