Athirasam : a Sweet Dish Made During Special Occasions

Athirasam is one of the traditional sweet dish of South India prepared during special occasions like marriage and offered as gift with other items. It is made of Raw Rice (Not Parboiled Rice) and sweetened with jaggery. Flour made from Raw rice is fermented overnight in Jaggery mix and then used to make this dish.

Please go through the instructable on how to make Athirasam at home

Step 1: Ingredients

500 grams of raw rice
500 grams of jaggery
A large piece of Dried Ginger
Few cardamom pods

Step 2: Make Rice Flour

Soak rice for about 5 hours and then drain out water
Place it on a piece of cotton cloth to remove any moisture in it
Grind the rice in a mixer-grinder and sieve through a fine mesh
Repeat few times with remains on the sieve and collect the rice flour

Step 3: Make Jaggery Juice

In a wide mouthed bowl boil 2 cups of water and add jaggery in it

Step 4: Add Crushed Cardamom

Crush the cardamom pods and dried ginger to fine powder and add to jaggery in the bowl

Step 5: Filter the Jaggery Mix

Once the jaggery is fully mixed with water, filter the juice through a tea filter and keep aside

Step 6: Mix Rice Flour With Jaggery Juice

Place a a larger vessel on stove and add the jaggery juice in it
Heat till the jaggery juice becomes thick and forms a thread like pattern while pouring
Now add the sieved rice flour and mix well

Step 7: Make Mix

Mix continuously over low flame till it is thick like dough made with wheat flour
Remove from flame and allow to cool
Cover with a cotton cloth and then with a lid
Keep it covered overnight to ferment