Anarsa recipe

Diwali faral consists of a variety of snacks in its platter.
Ladoo, chivda, chakli, karaji and of course Anarsa, without which the Diwali faral platter is incomplete. Anarsa is an authentic Maharashtra snack/ sweet dish which is one of my favourite. It is a snack and is made from soaked powdered rice, Sugar/ Jaggery, Poppy seeds, a little ripe banana and Ghee for frying. Anarsa is my all time favourite sweet in Diwali platter. Although these days ready made anarsa peeth is readily available, still sharing the traditional method to Anarsa making.

Ingredients for Anarsa

• Rice 1 cup – soaked and dried
• Jaggery (gur) grated ½ cup
• Ghee 7 tablespoons
• Semolina (rawa/suji) 2 tablespoons
• Sugar 2 tablespoons

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice in enough water for at least 3 days. Remember to change the water every day.
2. On the 4th day, drain the rice and spread it on a absorbent sheet or towel.
3. Now grind rice in a grinder jar to a smooth powder.
4. Now through a sieve the powder and sift into a bowl.
5. Add sugar/ jaggery and 1 tablespoon ghee and knead into semi-soft dough without using water. If required, use milk or you can even use ripe banana just half teaspoon to soften it. Cover and rest the dough for 5-6 hours.
6. Divide dough into equal portions and shape them into small round balls.
7. Take a round ball, and flatten it on your palm approx 1/2 cm round and spread it over poppy seeds so they stick and cover one side of the flatten puri.
8. Anarsa is ready to fry, similarly prepare the remaining balls.
9. Heat approx half cup ghee in a wok or kadhai. Place anarsa with poppy seed side upwards and shallow-fry till light brown.
10. Note – Anarsa burns quickly so use two fryers and take anarsa on one speen and keep on pouring hot ghee from the sides in the kadhai on the anarsa. Do not flip the anarsa. Drain on absorbent paper.
11. Similarly shallow fry rest of the Anarsa, remember to add ghee after after frying 2-3 Anarsa in the kadhai.
12. Anarsas are ready.

This is my Fire Tatwa post on Food and kitchen experiments. Do check out the Chewda recipe and Besan Laddoo for Diwali faral.