Adhirasam

Adhirasam

Homemade adhirasam
Type Pastry
Course Dessert
Place of origin Tamil Nadu, India
Region or state Tamil Nadu
Main ingredients Rice Flour , jaggery
Cookbook: Adhirasam  Media: Adhirasam

Adhirasam (Tamil: அதிரசம்) is a type of Indian sweet from Tamil cuisine. The doughnut like pastry has a long history of popularity in Tamil civilization. They are similar in shape to vadai, but are not savoury and are eaten as a dessert.

Adhirasam is a popular as an offering to the gods during puja prayers, both at home and in temples in Tamil Nadu.[1][2] According to inscriptions from Krishnadevaraya's time, the sweet was made from rice flour, jaggery, butter and pepper.[3] At the annual festival at the Panchavarnesvar Temple in Nallur (located near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu), an offering of 6000 Adhirasams along with 6000 vadas is made to the Gods; the entire lot is cooked in the temple kitchen between sunrise and 11 pm, for the prayers that take place at midnight.

Preparation

It is one which is top in the list when it comes to the matter of Diwali sweet preparations in the Tamilians home. The authentic preparation takes about a week. First the rice is soaked in water and dried in shade and ground into a fine powder when the rice is 3/4th dried and retains some moisture. For adding sweet "vellam" (jaggery)is melted in water by boiling it till it reaches 'soft ball' consistency (235° F–240° F, if using a candy thermometer) and added to the rice flour along with some powdered cardamom to make a thick dough. It is then transferred to an earthenware pot and the top of the pot is closed with a thin white cloth. It is then allowed to ferment for about 3–5 days by placing it in the sunlight during the day time. Finally when the batter is ready for preparation, small balls of the dough is taken and flattened using fingers in a small piece of oil brushed banana leaf and deep fried in oil until golden brown. Then it is pressed with a flat bottomed bowl to remove the excess oil.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Matthews, Christine M. E. (1979). Health and culture in a South Indian village. New Delhi, India: Sterling Publishers. p. 254. OCLC 6703271.
  2. ↑ Annapoorna, L. (2000). Music and temples : a ritualistic approach. New Delhi, India: Sundeep Prakashan. p. 77. ISBN 978-81-7574-090-7. OCLC 45499624.
  3. ↑ Tēvi, Irā. Nirañcan̲ā (2006). Medicine in South India. Eswar Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-81-7874-039-3. OCLC 122427109.
  4. ↑ "நல்லூர் பஞ்சவர்ணேஸ்வர் கோயில் (Nallur Panchavarneswar Koil)" (in Tamil). Dinamalar. March 21, 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.

External links

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