Adhirasam

Happy Tamil New Year's Day. Adhirasam is a traditional Tamilnadu cuisine. It is mostly done during festivals especially Diwali. It is long process done for 3 or 4 day. The adhirasam maav is prepared earlier, and allow to rest for a week also to get the perfect taste. But can be done next day too. It is quite a big process but worth it. If stored in refrigerator, adhirasam maav can be kept for more than 6 months.

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 3 kg
• Jaggery - 2 and 1/2 kg
• Cardamon  - 20
• Oil - to deep fry

Method:

Wash and soak rice for minimum 2 hours. Drain and spread in a white cotton cloth for 30 minutes.

The rice should be moist. Do not dry for longer time. Grind in the mixer to a fine powder. And keep the flour in the container where the flour should be also moist. 

Powder the jaggery and add water till it immerse and bring to heat. Once its completely dissolved, filter it to remove impurities. Again start heating the jaggery syrup. Meanwhile powder the cardamon to powder.

Bring to heat again, first small bubbles will start and the jaggery syrup will start thickening.  Keep a small  plate ready filled with little water. Take a drop of jaggery syrup and put it in water, it should stand firm and not dissolve as shown below. It will form a nonsticky soft ball. Switch off the fire. Immediately add cardamon powder.

Add rice flour little by little. The dough will be gooey and sticky , it should be very loose. After some hours, the rice flour absorbs the syrup and get stiff.

Keep it overnight at room temperature in an airtight container by adding 1/4 cup of oil on top. You can keep it as such for a week. If more than that, refrigerate it.  

At the time of preparing, divide the dough into equal sized balls, each of small lemon sized. Heat oil in frying pan and once it is hot, reduce the flame to low. Grease the zip loc cover with a drop of ghee and flatten the dough thick. Carefully drop in oil.

Once it rises up, immediately flip it and allow the other side to cook. Once it turns golden brown, drain from oil. Transfer to adhirasam press to remove the excess oil. Repeat this for all dough. 

Adhirasam is very crispier and tastier when hot. After it cools, turns soft. Enjoy in both ways.

Notes:

• Keep the dough overnight or soak for 10 hours and then prepare adhirasam. If refrigerated, bring to normal temperature and then proceed.
• The dough should be very loose when you make adhirsam. If it is stiff, then your adhirsam will become hard and chewy. 
• If the dough is tight, add a tbsp of milk or warm water and knead and start preparing. If the dough is watery add a tbsp of all purpose flour(maida) and prepare.
• While grinding the rice it should be moist. If the rice is dry, sprinkle some water on top and then grind.  
• The jaggery syrup consistency is very important. If it passes the consistency, the adhirasam will get dissolved in oil.
• While flattening the adhirasam, it should be thick.
• If you don't have adhirasam press, keep adhirasam in between 2 ladels and press it gentl to remove excess oil.
• Do not press adhirasam too hard then it will turn hard to bite.