Ariselu / Aathirasallu for February Indian Cooking Challenge

A wonderful Indian Traditional dish tried out for Indian Cooking Challenge. It was a real challenge for me as I have eaten it only a few times as my mom did not make it that much. But, shall I say, I loved the experience.


I tried Recipe 1 of the challenge.

Ariselu (अरिसिलू)
Makes 4-5 pieces of regular poori size

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup (I did not have paku jaggery, so I used the normal one we get in all grocery stores)
Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp or less
Khas-Khas (Poppy Seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Cardamom powder - a pinch
Preparation

• Soak rice for about 6 hrs and then shade dry it (don't dry it in sun and not too long, it should still be lightly wet but not wet enough that it becomes a paste, we need to make a powder by grinding it). 
• Grind the dry rice to fine powder using mixie. The rice flour should have that texture of soft and wet feeling when you take a handful and also it should kind of retain your fist shape.
• Take water that is enough to dilute jaggery in a wide pan. Dissolve the jaggary. Remove any impurities that may be present. Then again cook till the pakam is ready. Please make it into a 3-thread syrup.
• Once syrup is ready, remove it from fire, and add poppy seeds, and cardamom. Mix well. Then slowly add the rice flour and keep mixing well. The consistency is very important, so you need to add the flour little by little. Mix till you get a chapati dough consistency. End of this, you may still have some flour left out.
• Divide into lemon size balls. Grease a plastic sheet and your fingers. Place the ball on the sheet, and pat it down to a poori size.
• I added Sesame seeds at this stage (if you want you can add them before when mixing khas-khas). Just sprinkle a little over each arisi (poori).
• Heat oil for frying and slowly drop these discs into the hot oil. You can simmer for a while until you know the inside is cooked. Turn to the other side and cook till its golden in color.
• Once done, remove and drain on a Kitchen towel.

Serving

Just serve it as a dessert or anyway you like it. It can also be eaten as just a handy snack :)


Guess what, it was my first time beating rice at home and my first time making jaggery pakam. The final product didn't hold as good as on this picture, but tasted super yummy.


Till next post, take care.


~ Priya