Athirasam, Ariselu (Ugadi Special)

The dish which is called as Athirasam or Adirasam in Tamilnadu is known as Ariselu in Karnataka and Andhra. On Ugadi, this dish is made as a special dish.

Ingredients:
Processed Rice Flour - 4 cups
Jaggery - 3 cups
Oil - For frying
Cardamom Powder - 2 pinch
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup (this is must if Ariselu is made for Ugadi)
Water - 1 cup

Method:
In a thick bottom pan add water and when it boil add grated jaggery and when it dissolves remove from flame and drain to remove the impurities. Keep the jaggery mixture again in flame, add cardamom powder and let it boil till it forms a syrup (if a drop of the syrup is put in water, it should settle well in the bottom).

Add the rice flour slowly and keep stirring without forming any lumps. Remove from flame and when warm make balls and spread them in the shape of puris. Dab the puris with sesame seeds.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry these puris in low flame till they turn golden brown. Store these in air tight container.


Sesame seeds can be added directly to the jaggery before adding the rice flour.

Kasi Halwa

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin - grated 2 cups

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Cardomom Powder - 2 pinches

Cashew nuts - 12 broken and fried in a spoon of ghee

Milk - 1 cup

Method:

                   Boil sugar with 3/4th cup of water and make sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency. Heat 2 to 4 tbspns of ghee in a hard bottom vessel and saute the grated pumpkin.   Add the milk to pumpkin and cook it in the milk till the pumpkin is soft. Mash it well in the milk while cooking. Add the sugar syrup to the pumpkin slowly constantly stirring. Add the remaining ghee slowly till it is absorbed completely. Keep cooking till the halwa leaves the sides of the vessel.  Remove from flame, add the cardamom powder and mix well. Decorate it with fried cashew nuts.