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Athirasa
අතිරස (athirasa): round fried New Year sweet of rice flour and jaggery, pressed to squeeze out the oil (plus overnight resting)
Athirasa, a dark, flat disc with a shiny, slightly crinkled surface, is one of the keeping sweets of the Avurudu season: families fry stacks of them in early April, store them in tins and offer them to every visitor for weeks. The dough is simply rice flour stirred into jaggery syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage, flavoured with cardamom and left to rest, then patted into rounds and fried until deep brown. The cook presses each one firmly between two flat spoons or saucers to squeeze out excess oil, which gives athirasa its chewy, toffee-like centre and lacy, crisp edges. The typical slip is undercooking the syrup, which makes the dough too soft to shape and causes the rounds to fall apart in the oil. Chef's tip: shape the discs on a piece of oiled banana leaf or baking paper and slide them straight into the oil from it, so they keep a neat round shape.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz palm or kithul jaggerygrated
- ¾ cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 /2 tsp ground cardamom
- 14 oz fine white rice floursifted
For frying
- 3 ¼ cups coconut or vegetable oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Melt 10 ½ oz palm or kithul jaggery in ¾ cup water in a heavy pan over a low heat, then strain to remove any grit and return to the pan.
5 minStep 2: Boil over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until it reaches the soft-ball stage, 250°F, when a drop in cold water forms a soft ball.
10 minStep 3: Take off the heat, stir in 1 pinch salt and 1 /2 tsp ground cardamom, then add 14 oz fine white rice flour gradually, mixing hard, to make a soft, sticky dough.
Step 4: Cover and leave at room temperature for at least 6 hours or overnight to firm up.
Step 5: With oiled hands, take walnut-sized pieces of dough and pat them into rounds about 7 cm wide and 5 mm thick on oiled banana leaf or baking paper.
Step 6: Heat 3 ¼ cups coconut or vegetable oil to 325°F and fry the rounds 2–3 at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until deep brown and puffed.
25 minStep 7: Lift each one out and press it firmly between two flat spoons or saucers to squeeze out the oil. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does athirasa take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of palm or kithul jaggery?
- Dark brown or muscovado sugar, same amount.
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