Adhirsam ( using Jaggery )

Adhirsam ( Jaggery version )

Adhirsam is a very famous jaggery based south Indian sweet which is considered as ‘must do’ sweet especially for Marriage Ceremony , Diwali , etc.

If we follow some tricks and tips perfectly,  surely we’ll get perfect adhirsam.  Let’s see the procedure along with loads of tips.

Rice ( Maavu arisi / Patni chawal ) –  1 cup

Jaggery  :  1 cup ( coarsely powdered )

Water : 1/3 cup

Green Cardamom :  4 

Dry ginger powder :  2 pinches

Melted ghee :  1 tsp and some more for greasing.

Yield :  12 pieces.  

Soak rice for 4 hrs.

Drain water and spread on a kitchen towel.  Let it dry for half an hour.  Avoid drying more than half an hour.

Meanwhile powder jaggery coarsely and let it soak in 1/3 cup of water. 

After half an hour,  Rice will still have some amount of wetness .    ( using dry hands pick a fistful of rice .  It should partially stick to your hands but your palm should not get wet….  This is the perfect consistency )

Using mixer grinder, grind the rice as a fine powder as much as possible.  Can grind rice in batches.  

Sieve the flour to get fine and smooth rice flour.  We can add the left over coarse rice flour while grinding for next batch.  

Keep the prepared rice flour in a vessel .  Mix well with Cardamom powder , dry ginger powder and a tsp of ghee. 

Keep it closed using paper or cloth to retain its wetness. ( Do not use steel plate to cover the vessel )

Generally we should start preparing adhirsam immediately .  ( That is .., we can’t prepare rice flour well in advance as it may lose its wetness )

Now prepare for jaggery syrup.   Boil the jaggery with water  till jaggery completely dissolves.  Strain to remove stones or dust particles. 

Again boil jaggery till it reaches to soft ball consistency.  Keep stirring frequently in between.

Keep a cup filled with a ladle of water. When you drop few drops of jaggery syrup in this water , the syrup will not dissolve but when you gather it , you could feel like soft ball . 

Remove from flame and pour the hot syrup over the  rice flour and mix it using ladle without any lumps. 

Rice flour absorbs syrup and become a thick batter.

Close with a lid.  Give standing time and keep it covered for 7 to 8 hrs or overnight.  The more it matures the more it tastes great.

Next day we can pat and deep fry.

Grease Plantain leaf or plastic cover with melted ghee ( room temperature ).

Heat the oil to medium heat and keep the flame in low to medium throughout the frying process . 
Pinch out a very small portion of dough  and drop in oil, it should not dissolve in oil and also it should not raise immediately  ( just to make sure the dough and temperature of oil is perfect ). 

If that small ball dissolve in oil while frying, try adding little bit of wheat flour in the rice flour.

Divide the dough into equal portion.

Pat the dough into small disks .  Can use ghee greased hands to pat .  Make sure to have uniform thickness. 

If you are making adhirsam for the first time, Pat and start frying adhirsam, only one at a time.  Make sure not to pat too thin or too thick.

Though we are going to fry only one adhirsam at a time, it’s better to have sufficient oil otherwise adhirsam will stick to the bottom of the pan.

If you are confident, you can fry 3 to 4 adhirsam at a time .

Frying will not take more time so keep watching.

Gently drop the patted adhirsam in the medium heat oil and when it starts fluffing , gently flip to other side and fry .  The colour will change slightly and immediately remove from oil .

After removing from oil, using one more ladle , very gently press to remove excess oil .  

Tightly squeezed adhirsam will become hard.

Keep the fried adhirsam in a wide plate. 

Keep frying all the adhirsam but Don’t stack one over the other .   

Actually even after removing from oil, the cooking process will continue with the redemption of the heat exist in the adhirsam.  

Let it cools down completely before tasting it.

Crispy tasty adhirsam is ready to serve.

But it becomes very soft and even more tasty if we eat it next day so if time permits cook adhirsam and eat it next day .

Enjoy delicious Adhirsam with family and friends.

Note :  1 cup of rice may give 2 cups of flour approximately .  

Would like to hear from you ...  Kindly pass on your lovely comments .

Health Mix Halwa

Health Mix Halwa

Health mix halwa is Healthy and also easy to prepare.  I have used Manna brand health mix.  We can use store bought or homemade health mix to prepare this halwa.  It takes less time unless like wheat halwa.   Let’s see how to make health mix halwa.

Wheat flour -  ½  cup 

Health mix flour -  ½ cup

Melted ghee  -  1 cup

Sugar  -  1 + ¼ cup

Water  -  2 cups

Green Cardamom -  3

Cashews  -  6

Nutmeg powder / Jadhikai / Jaiphal   -  2 pinches

In a heavy bottom pan  mix wheat flour, health mix flour and ¾ cup of ghee without any lumps add chopped cashews .  Cook on low flame .  Keep stirring frequently till nice aroma comes and the cashews becomes golden brown. 

Meanwhile mix water and sugar in a vessel and boil till sugar completely dissolves .  Keep it aside.

When the flour mixture is ready and cashews turns into golden brown add the sugar syrup gradually and keep stirring while adding syrup.  You should get the mixture without any lumps. 

Keep the flame in low and keep cooking till the halwa thickens nicely.

Add cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.

When all the water gets absorbed and the halwa become very thick in consistency, add ghee in instalments.

Add one tsp at a time and mix nicely till it gets absorbed in halwa.

Keep a mould or plate , well-greased with ghee.

Cook halwa till it become fairly thick and it becomes like a dough and it will comes out smoothly without sticking to the walls of the pan.

Spread the halwa in the silicon mould or plate which is well greased.

Let it cool and comes to room temperature.   

If you are using silicon mould , do not disturb halwa till it comes to room temperature and unmold it in flat plate gently.  

Cut into square or desired shape.

Enjoy the healthy halwa with family and friends.

Note :

ü I have used Manna brand health mix.  You can use any brand or homemade health mix.

ü Mill ground wheat flour tastes great than the readymade wheat flour.

ü No need to add any food colour.

ü Avoid using Non-stick Pan for cooking halwa , as you may not able to find out the correct consistency .

I would like to hear from you….  Kindly pass on your suggestions and appreciations.   Thank you.