Athirasam Recipe / Chettinad Adhirasam Recipe with step by step and a short YouTube video. Adhirasam in Tamil, Ariselu in Telugu, Anarsa in Marathi, Kajjaya in Kannada is very traditional sweet prepared mainly during festivals like Diwali, Sankranthi, Dusshera too. Though the recipe calls for only 2 main ingredients raw rice and jaggery, making soft, pillowy Adhirasam is a little bit tricky one. The place where you can go wrong is from choosing the rice, use Maavu Pacharisi and Paagu Vellam only, another stage is the jaggery syrup, where most of us miss it. Last year I tried during Diwali, where I missed the jaggery syrup stage and the athirasam turned super hard a big flop! But don’t worry I have shared the recipe with video and given a lot of tips with minute details, so definitely read the tips before going to the recipe, to get spongy athirasam. I can say my Grandma prepares the best athirasam, and I have seen her making it in hundreds at ease. Furthermore, if you like my video, please share it and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my channel. If interested, check my 100+ Diwali Recipes and Deepavali Legiyam Recipe, which helps in digestion of oily foodstuffs had during Diwali.
Check my other Chettinadu Cuisine Recipes like
Athirasam Recipe
Chettinad Adhirasam Recipe | Athirasam Recipe
Equipment
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Raw Rice / மாவு பச்சைஅரிசி
- ¾ Cup Jaggery / Paagu Vellam / பாகு வெல்லம்
- ½ Cup Water / தண்ணீர்
- 2 Cardamom / ஏலக்காய்
- ½ tsp Sesame Seeds / எள்ளு
- Oil / எண்ணெய் For Deep Frying
- 2 - 3 tsp Ghee / நெய் Link for Homemade Ghee
Instructions
- Rinse the rice well and soak it in water for 2 hours. Then, drain the water completely and spread the rice in a cloth, so the excess water gets absorbed. Leave it for 30 minutes but the rice should not be completely dry, there should be little moisture content (when you press your hand over the rice, it should stick).
- Now, transfer the rice to a mixer and pulse it to a semi - coarse powder. Put the ground powder over a sieve and sift it till you get a rava / sooji like mixture. Also, you can grind the remaining rice particles in the next batch.
- For making the Jaggery Syrup/Paagu. First, crush the jaggery and cardamom pods. To a pan, pour 1/2 cup of water and add the jaggery.
- Heat in medium flame, till the jaggery completely dissolves. When bubbles start to appear, simmer the flame and keep a bowl of water nearby. Once the jaggery syrup thickens a little, just take a bit of jaggery in your fingers and start to check the jaggery consistency by dropping it in the water. 1st stage - it dissolves in water, 2nd stage - not dissolve, you will be able to make a ball, it should be soft, jelly-like ball and slide from your fingers. Switch off the flame immediately.
- Strain the jaggery syrup and now add the rice flour very slowly in a sprinkled manner. Then add 2 to 3 tsp of ghee, sesame seeds and mix again.
- The dough looks soft, shiny and pliable now. Keep covered and set aside for 1 day. If making later, keep refrigerated, it stays good for 1 month. After 1 day, add 1 tsp of ghee, knead the dough again and make medium-sized balls. In a banana leaf or plastic sheet, grease little ghee or sesame oil, then place the ball and flatten it, not too thick or thin, just medium thickness.
- Heat oil in a pan, add 1 or 2 athirasam at a time and simmer the flame. Once it puffs up, flip to the other side and fry it golden colour. Do the same with the remaining dough.
- Keep the fried athirasam over a tissue paper and press it with a dosa ladle or tumbler or flat bowl (as athirasam sucks a lot of oil). Do try this authentic Athirasam Recipe for this Diwali.
Video
Notes
Tips for Athirasam Recipe
For making Flour / Maavu- Use 'Maavu Pacharisi' only, as the regular raw rice or readymade rice flour never work for this Chettinad Adhirasam Recipe.
- Soak the rice for at least 2 to 3 hours, so it will be easy for grinding.
- Dry the rice for 30 to 45 minutes only, there must be little moisture content, when you press your hands over the rice, 1 or 2 rice grains should stick.
- Don't grind the rice, it should be pulsed only or if making in large batches, you can grind it in flour mill.
- Also, pulse the rice to a semi - coarse powder, that is not fine powder. When sifting also, use a sieve with large holes.
- Use Paagu Vellam or Mandai Vellam to get a perfect Athirasam Recipe.
- Always make this syrup / paagu in low flame only, as there is a chance to miss the syrup consistency.
- Keep an eye when the syrup starts to thicken itself and keep a bowl of water nearby. When you drop a pinch of syrup in the water,
- 1st stage - the syrup dissolves in the water
- 2nd stage - the syrup stands not dissolves, you should be able to make a ball and the ball should be soft, jelly like and it should slide from your fingers.
- If you pass the syrup stage, from soft to hard ball the adhirasam will definately turn hard.
- When the syrup consistency is got right, immediately switch off the flame and then add the flour to the syrup, slowly and in a sprinkled way.
- Always rest the dough outside for 1 or 2 days and then make the adhirasam. If made immediately, the dough will not be stiff and the adhirasam dissolves in the oil.
- This dough stays good for 1 week at room temperature and for 1 month under refrigeration. If using the refrigerated dough, bring to room temperature and then use.
- If the dough is loose, add 1 or 2 tsp of rice flour or wheat flour and knead again.
- If the dough is tight, add little hot water or warm milk, then knead. But milk reduces the shelf life.
- Furthermore, fry the Adhirasam in medium flame, so it gets cooked inside. Once it puffs up, turn to the other side and finally drain it in a tissue paper and press it with a ladle as it sucks lot of oil.
Chettinad Adhirasam Recipe
Method for Chettinad Adhirasam Recipe
1. Rinse the rice well and soak it in water for 2 hours. Then, drain the water completely and spread the rice in a cloth, so the excess water gets absorbed. Leave it for 30 minutes but the rice should not be completely dry, there should be little moisture content (when you press your hand over the rice, it should stick).
2. Now, transfer the rice to a mixer and pulse it to a semi – coarse powder. Put the ground powder over a sieve and sift it till you get a rava / sooji like mixture. Also, you can grind the remaining rice particles in the next batch.
3. For making the Jaggery Syrup/Paagu. First, crush the jaggery and cardamom pods. To a pan, pour 1/2 cup of water and add the jaggery.
4. Heat in medium flame, till the jaggery completely dissolves. When bubbles start to appear, simmer the flame and keep a bowl of water nearby. Once the jaggery syrup thickens a little, just take a bit of jaggery in your fingers and start to check the jaggery consistency by dropping it in the water. 1st stage – it dissolves in water, 2nd stage – not dissolve, you will be able to make a ball, it should be soft, jelly-like ball and slide from your fingers. Switch off the flame immediately.
5. Strain the jaggery syrup and now add the rice flour very slowly in a sprinkled manner. Then add 2 to 3 tsp of ghee, sesame seeds and mix again.
6. The dough looks soft, shiny and pliable now. Keep covered and set aside for 1 day. If making later, keep refrigerated, it stays good for 1 month. After 1 day, add 1 tsp of ghee, knead the dough again and make medium-sized balls. In a banana leaf or plastic sheet, grease little ghee or sesame oil, then place the ball and flatten it, not too thick or thin, just medium thickness.
7. Heat oil in a pan, add 1 or 2 athirasam at a time and simmer the flame. Once it puffs up, flip to the other side and fry it golden colour. Do the same with the remaining dough.
8. Keep the fried athirasam over a tissue paper and press it with a dosa ladle or tumbler or flat bowl (as athirasam sucks a lot of oil).
Do try this authentic Athirasam Recipe for this Diwali.
Chettinad Adhirasam Recipe
Welcome to my blog www.asmallbite.com. Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you’re enjoying my recipes to make the taste forever. I am Priya Santhamohan, writer and photographer (with hubby’s help) of this blog. 
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