Fluffy Adhirasam (In Tamil panju ponra Adhirasam ie பஞ்சு போன்ற அதிரசம் ) : Diwali or Pongal, festival or no festival, I make adhirasam frequently since it turned to be my young hero’s favorite. He still says it as Brown cookies, never mind about calories I am always happy to serve the happy soul. So whenever I make it this goes in my kids snack boxes for school. I have several adhirasam recipes so how come this post is different from those? Well the first thing is addition of a secret ingredients that makes your adhirasam fluffy and perfect. Second thing is a new
complete video tutorial, so beginners can never go wrong with this recipe (do check the dough repairing tips before you start making). Do notice the sieve I used to make this Soft fluffy Adhirasam and Crispy Fluffy Adhirasam (as shown below) both. By the way I have to mention my other posts are well detailed with tips like what type of jaggery to choose, what type of oil to use for frying so and so, Many succeeded with those Sona Masoori Raw Rice and Jaggery Version Adhirasam and my mom’s way of nattu sarkarai adhirasam Flat Brown Sugar Adhirasam Recipes.
With the jaggery techniques I showed here which was taught my mom , my adhirasams never had hard dough or dissolving in oil issues. Everytime they turned out in good shape and one or two times crispy because of jaggery and oil I used during initial days.
Also I am going to come with Millet Adhirasam soon .
After seeing the pose given by my daughter during last year pongal festival, my younger one wanted to do the same, so when I made it again with same bangles he modeled as shown below 🙂 , both are my cute pictures ever…
How to make Fluffy Adhirasam
- Soak the rice for 2 hours, I have used Maavu Arisi.
- Drain the excess water, pat dry over cloth for 30 minutes.
- Grind the rice in batches, 2 cups rice yields 4 cups of flour and do grind in 4 batches approximately.
- Sieve the flour immediately after grinding it. So when you have coarse rice (leftovers) you can include it in the next batch of grinding.
- Do use small hole sieve to make soft adhirasam if you use big hole sieve you get crispy adhirasam as shown here below.
- Once done with preparing rice flour press it tightly till you prepare the jaggery/sugar syrup so that you can retain moisture in the flour.
Jaggery Preparation
- Measure the jaggery or Natural unrefined Sugar (Naatu sarkarai).
- Add 1/3 Cup + 2 Tbsp of water to the sugar.
- In medium flame boil, you can filter it once sugar gets dissolved and bring it to boil in 5 minutes (approx) you will get foam from the syrup (Pic 10) and start testing for the consistency.
- For that take water in a small cup add few drops of jaggery syrup, if it is in right consistency the jaggery should stand separate from water and when you rub it with your finger you can see an impression there (anyways the syrup should not dissolve with water, refer video ).
Mixing Part
- Add cardamom powder to the syrup.
- Take the above hot syrup and mix it with prepared rice flour.
- Beginners do preserve few tbsps of jaggery and rice flour too before mixing together. That way you can finally adjust the consistency.
- Do check the Video how I mix the batter, if at any point you are not attaining this consistency and if the batter is tight add more preserved syrup on the same hand if the batter is gooey add more preserved rice flour, add a tsp at a time.
- Initially the batter should flow like folding ribbon (as shown in the video with caption perfect consistency).
- So this is the right consistency.
- After 5-6 minutes the jaggery gets absorbed a bit and tightens.
- Keep stirring for few minutes so that the heat evaporates quickly.
- Leave the dough uncovered for the batter to cool off.
- Either leave the dough little loosen so that after 8 hours of fermentation it turns to perfect one OR.
- Once cooled down completely cover it completely and let rest in room temperature for over night to 3 days maximum.
Frying Part
- Once you are ready to fry make equal size balls from the dough.
- Take a plate/ziploc sheet grease the top with oil, take a ball and flat over it to round shape with medium thickness for soft athirasam.
- Once you start flatting each balls (either with hole or without) to round shape simultaneously heat the oil in a wok.
- Here the frying temperature is also one main important point to note.
- In medium flame you have to fry it. The oil should not be too hot not too low in temperature.
- Too hot temperature makes the athirasam to turn golden brown quick and inside won’t cook properly.
- The low temparature makes the athirasam to turn hard and crisp.
- So maintain a right temperature (while adding the raw athirasam the oil should be bit hot then reduce the temperature), add one at a time when one starts puffing up add the next one.
- The puffing athirasam is the right sign for good athirasam, by the way you can add more than one at a time to fry.
- Once it reaches golden brown, take two spatulas drain the excess oil (Pic 2), also wipe it all over using kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil around and keep aside in a plate.
- The fried athirasams once cooled down completely store in an air tight container at room temperature.
Yields – 1 kg Adhirasam
Ingredients
Raw Rice / Maavu Arisi – 2 Cups (sona masoori Rice works here)
Jaggery or Brown Sugar / Nattu Sarkarai or Karupatti- 2 Cups (My mom make karupatti adhirasam you can see in my Insta pictures)
Idli Rice – 2 Tbsp (that’s the secret ingredient)
Cardamom Powder – 1 Tbsp
Oil or Ghee – To Deep Fry
Beginners Dough Repairing Tips
- Always reserve 1/4 cup jaggery syrup and flour to adjust consistency later.
- You don’t have rice flour and the batter is gooey do add instant rice flour OR
- Stir the adhirasam batter over stove in low flame for a while without burning the dough (this step definitely works).
- Make sure it sits on room temperature for 8 hours at least before deep fry.
- You can store the Athirasam dough in an air tight container in refrigerator for more than a month.
- When you are about to deep fry take the dough as needed keep it out at room temperature for 1 hour at least.
- If the dough is too hard add few drops of milk, mix it and make balls, flat it round, then fry them in oil as mentioned above.
- Also you can add jaggery syrup to the hard adhirasam dough, mix it and again leave in room temperature for at least 4 hours before deep fry.
Complete Video Tutorial
Recipe Card
- Raw Rice / Maavu Arisi – 2 Cups
- Jaggery or Brown Sugar / Nattu Sarkarai or Karupatti- 2 Cups My mom make karupatti adhirasam you can see in my Insta pictures
- Idli Rice – 2 Tbsp that secret ingredient
- Cardamom Powder – 1 Tbsp
- Oil or Ghee – To Deep Fry
-
Soak the rice for 2 hours, I have used Maavu Arisi.
-
Drain the excess water, pat dry over cloth for 30 minutes.
-
Grind the rice in batches, 2 cups rice yields 4 cups of flour and do grind in 4 batches approximately.
-
Sieve the flour immediately after grinding it. So when you have coarse rice (leftovers) you can include it in the next batch of grinding.
-
Do use small hole sieve to make soft adhirasam if you use big hole sieve you get crispy adhirasam as shown here below.
-
Once done with preparing rice flour press it tightly till you prepare the jaggery/sugar syrup so that you can retain moisture in the flour.
-
Measure the jaggery or Natural unrefined Sugar (Naatu sarkarai).
-
Add 1/3 Cup + 2 Tbsp of water to the sugar.
-
In medium flame boil, you can filter it once sugar gets dissolved and bring it to boil in 5 minutes (approx) you will get foam from the syrup (Pic 10) and start testing for the consistency.
-
For that take water in a small cup add few drops of jaggery syrup, if it is in right consistency the jaggery should stand separate from water and when you rub it with your finger you can see an impression there (anyways the syrup should not dissolve with water, refer video ).
-
Add cardamom powder to the syrup.
-
Take the above hot syrup and mix it with prepared rice flour.
-
Beginners do preserve few tbsps of jaggery and rice flour too before mixing together. That way you can finally adjust the consistency.
-
Do check the Video how I mix the batter, if at any point you are not attaining this consistency and if the batter is tight add more preserved syrup on the same hand if the batter is gooey add more preserved rice flour, add a tsp at a time.
-
Initially the batter should flow like folding ribbon (as shown in the video with caption perfect consistency).
-
So this is the right consistency.
-
After 5-6 minutes the jaggery gets absorbed a bit and tightens.
-
Keep stirring for few minutes so that the heat evaporates quickly.
-
Leave the dough uncovered for the batter to cool off.
-
Either leave the dough little loosen so that after 8 hours of fermentation it turns to perfect one OR.
-
Once cooled down completely cover it completely and let rest in room temperature for over night to 3 days maximum.
-
Once you are ready to fry make equal size balls from the dough.
-
Take a plate/ziploc sheet grease the top with oil, take a ball and flat over it to round shape with medium thickness for soft athirasam.
-
Once you start flatting each balls (either with hole or without) to round shape simultaneously heat the oil in a wok.
-
Here the frying temperature is also one main important point to note.
-
In medium flame you have to fry it. The oil should not be too hot not too low in temperature.
-
Too hot temperature makes the athirasam to turn golden brown quick and inside won’t cook properly.
-
The low temparature makes the athirasam to turn hard and crisp.
-
So maintain a right temperature (while adding the raw athirasam the oil should be bit hot then reduce the temperature), add one at a time when one starts puffing up add the next one.
-
The puffing athirasam is the right sign for good athirasam, by the way you can add more than one at a time to fry.
-
Once it reaches golden brown, take two spatulas drain the excess oil (Pic 2), also wipe it all over using kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil around and keep aside in a plate.
-
The fried athirasams once cooled down completely store in an air tight container at room temperature.
Beginners Dough Repairing Tips Always reserve 1/4 cup jaggery syrup and flour to adjust consistency later. You don’t have rice flour and the batter is gooey do add instant rice flour OR Stir the adhirasam batter over stove in low flame for a while without burning the dough (this step definitely works). Make sure it sits on room temperature for 8 hours at least before deep fry. You can store the Athirasam dough in an air tight container in refrigerator for more than a month. When you are about to deep fry take the dough as needed keep it out at room temperature for 1 hour at least. If the dough is too hard add few drops of milk, mix it and make balls, flat it round, then fry them in oil as mentioned above.
Priya
Can I use maavu arisi with mentioned quantity of idli rice . If so, how many tblspoon for 1 small azhakku?
Sangeetha Priya
Priya from your youtube comments I understand that you are asking how much idli rice to use for 1 small azhakku maavu arisi? In that case say 1 cup of rice is 175grams then 1 Tbsp of rice is 12 grams approx. So take 1:14 or 1:15 proportion for Maavu Arisi : Idli Rice .Hope this helps.
Shyne
Hi, can i blend my rice flour first and keep it for 2 days prior to making athirasam?
Sangeetha Priya
You can make the rice flour in prior and store in a air tight container properly in freezer to retain the moisture that helps to give soft adhirasam when mixed with hot paagu/syrup later. Also thaw it properly before adding the syrup. But never ever roast the flour. Instead of storing the flour do mix with syrup it stays good for a week in right jaggery syrup or else you can store uncooked adhirasa maavu in refrigerator for future use.
Nithya
Hi ,
My athirasam is crispy and not soft..what could be the reason…
Sangeetha Priya
Nithya there could be several reasons for crispy adhirasam do check this post to get clear idea about it https://www.nithaskitchen.com/2015/10/nattu-sakkarai-adhirasam.html
Sirisha
Can I use idli rice instead of Sona masoori?
Sangeetha Priya
I tried once with idli rice instead of raw rice and didn’t like the way it turned out…