 Homemade adhirasam | |
| Type | Fried dough |
|---|---|
| Course | Sweet |
| Region or state | Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka,Telangana,Maharashtra,Odisha,Bihar,Uttarakhand,Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh |
| Main ingredients | Rice flour,jaggery |
| Variations | Ariselu,Anarsa |
Adhirasam (Tamil:அதிரசம்),kajjaya orathrasa inKannada (Kannada:ಅತ್ರಾಸ),ariselu inTelugu,anarasa inMarathi,Airsa inChhattisgarhi orArisa pitha inOdia) is a type ofIndian sweet made out ofrice,jaggery,ghee and sometimescoconut and with spices likecardamom,sesame,pepper andgingerpowder fromTamil cuisine,Karnataka cuisine,Telugu cuisine,Marathi cuisine andOdia cuisine. Thedoughnut-likefried dough has a long history of popularity in Kannada, Telugu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Tamil civilization. They are similar in shape tovada, but are not savoury and are eaten as asweet.
Adhirasam is a popular as an offering to the relatives duringDeepavali andGanesha Chaturthi festivals, both at home and intemples inTamil Nadu andKarnataka.[1][2]
According to inscriptions from the 16th century during the reign ofVijayanagara emperorKrishnadevaraya, the sweet was made from rice flour,jaggery, butter and pepper.[3] At the annual festival at the Panchavarnesvar Temple inThirunallur (located nearKumbakonam, Tamil Nadu), an offering of 6000 Adhirasams along with 6000vadas is made to the Gods; the entire lot is cooked in the temple kitchen between sunrise and 11 pm, for the prayers that take place at midnight. It is a popular Deepavali sweet preparation for Tamil people.[4]
The authentic preparation takes about a week. First the rice is soaked in water and dried in shade and ground into a fine powder when the rice is 3/4th dried and retains some moisture. For adding sweet "vellam" (jaggery in Tamil) is melted in water by boiling it till it reaches soft-ball consistency (235–240 °F (113–116 °C), if using a candy thermometer) and added to the rice flour along with some powderedcardamom to make a thick dough. It is then transferred to anearthenware pot and the top of the pot is closed with a thin white cloth. It is then allowed toferment for about 3–5 days by placing it in the sunlight during the day. Finally, when the batter is ready for preparation, small balls of the dough is taken and flattened using fingers in a small piece of oil-brushedbanana leaf and deep fried in oil until golden brown. Then it is pressed with a flat bottomed bowl to remove the excess oil.[5]
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