ANARSA

The festival of lights is here and the entire city is lit up with colourful lamps and lanterns. I don’t need to mention that the fireworks have already begun.  Diwali also brings along my favourite treats/ faral.  Anarsa is very popular sweet and it is an authentic Maharashtrian sweet dish which is mostly prepared on festivals like Diwali. It is little lengthy process and requires some preparations in advance, but the results are superb and worth the efforts. It is made with powder sugar as well as grated jaggery. Here I have shared sugar version but I promise I will share the jaggery version as soon as possible.  Anarsa is also known as Apoopa are made with specially during the Adhik Maas and are donated in brass plates and is called Apoopa Dana. Adhik Maas is considered a sacred month by the Hindus worldwide. This month occurs once every three years or four times in 11 years.

Anarsa has many variants in India. Known as Arisa in Orissa and Anarsa in Bihar and Jharkhand. This sweet dish is made with soaked and powdered rice and sugar or jaggery. Poppy seeds can be replaced with sesame seeds. This delectable dessert recipe is a must have during special occasions. You can prepare it by two ways- circular flat discs or round balls which tastes crisp on outside and coffee soft inside. So do try it once and share your experience.    

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Rice

2 Cups Powder Sugar

2 tablespoon Poppy Seeds

1 tablespoon Milk

5-6 tablespoon Ghee or Oil for frying

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash the rice with water for 2-3 times

and soak the rice in sufficient water for 3 days.

Change the water everyday.

STEP 2 – After 3 days, spread the rice on colander to remove excess water from rice.

STEP 3 – Now spread on cotton cloth and let it dry nicely for 2-3 hours.

STEP 4 – Grind the rice to a fine powder in mixer grinder or food processor and sieve it through a fine mesh.

STEP 5 – Add powder sugar in it and mix it well. [see notes]

STEP 6 – Press  and mix the mixture nicely

and make 2-3 big laddoo with the mixture.

STEP 7 – Keep it in clean container and keep it for 5-6 days.

STEP 8 – When you want to make anarsa, break the ball

and just sprinkle a little milk to the mixture and knead the mixture into a pliable dough.[see notes]

STEP 9 – Heat ghee / oil on medium heat.

STEP 10 - Take a plastic sheet on the kitchen platform. Sprinkle some poppy seeds on it.

STEP 11 – Divide the dough into lemon size ball.

STEP 12 - Take small ball and press it lightly on poppy seeds with finger tips. Flatten the dough into a round disc.[see notes]

STEP 13 – Gently slide the anarsa into oil, shallow fry it. Keep the side with poppy seeds up. [see notes]

STEP 14 - Keep on splashing ghee over the upper side of the anarsa with the help of ladle. Do not disturb the anarsa.

STEP 14 – Shallow fry anarsa till golden brown from the bottom. The poppy seeds side will have a sort of mesh on it once it is fried.  Fry anarsa on medium flame or else they will break.

STEP 15 – Remove the anarsa from oil

and drain the excess oil by keeping them vertical position on tissue paper/ kitchen towel. 

STEP 16 – Cool down anarsa till crisp, then store it in an airtight container.

Serve warm or cool.

NOTES:* You can use grated jaggery instead of powder sugar. I will share jiggery version some another day.

             * Add 1 teaspoon milk in the mixture and make a soft dough. Don’t add much. Be careful.

             * You may use rolling pin to roll it but roll it very light hands. Here you need to cover the anarsa dough with another plastic sheet. 

             * If the dough does not hold its shape and strats breaking in the ghee, add some more rice flour or fine rawa to the dough.

            * If not sure and if the dough sticks, apply little ghee on your hands.