Start 3 days ahead. The soaking alone is 3 days, against 70 min of actual work.
Allergens in Anarsa: milk, sesame.
Ingredients
Quantities for 6.
- 500g, short-grain Rice
- 300g, grated fine Jaggery
- 600 ml, for deep-frying, plus 2 tbsp for the dough Ghee
- 100g, white Sesamefor coating
- 2 tbsp Milkonly if the dough will not come togetheroptional
- 2 tbsp Poppy Seedstraditional in some households in place of half the sesameoptional
- 0.5 tsp, seeds crushed Cardamomoptional
Cookware
kadhai, stovetop, blender
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Soak the rice in cold water for 3 days, changing the water every morning and evening, then drain it and spread it on a cloth in the shade for 2 hours until damp-dry, not crisp.
- Grind the damp rice to a fine flour and sieve it; any coarse grit will tear the discs in the oil.
- Mix the dough and rest it covered for at least 24 hours, and up to 4 days. This rest is what gives anarsa its honeycomb inside, and it cannot be skipped.
- Have the sesame in a wide plate and your hands greased before you shape.
Method
- Rub the grated jaggery into the ground rice flour with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand, 5 minutes.No water. The moisture in the jaggery and the damp flour is all the dough gets.
- Work in 2 tbsp ghee and the crushed cardamom and knead to a stiff dough that just holds when squeezed; add the milk a teaspoon at a time only if it crumbles.
- Cover and rest the dough at room temperature for 24 hours, by which time it will have softened and smell faintly fermented.
- Pinch off lime-sized balls, press each one into the plate of sesame, and flatten to a 7cm disc about 6mm thick, sesame side up.Keep them thick. Thin anarsa disintegrates the moment it hits the ghee.
- Heat the ghee in a kadhai to a gentle 160C. A crumb of dough should rise slowly with fine bubbles, not fizz.Anarsa is fried low and slow. Hot ghee browns the jaggery before the middle cooks.
- Slide in one disc, sesame side down, and fry undisturbed for 90 seconds until it lifts and floats.
- Spoon hot ghee over the top rather than turning it, and fry a further 3 to 4 minutes until deep reddish-brown and the bubbling slows.Fry two at a time at most. Crowding drops the temperature and they break apart.
- Lift each anarsa out with a slotted spoon and stand it on edge against the side of a colander to drain for 5 minutes.
- Cool completely before eating. They crisp as they cool and are fragile while hot.
Storage
Stores 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature. Do not refrigerate; the jaggery weeps and the discs go soft.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Anarsa (172 g) is about 728 calories, or 424 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 9 g a serving, 5% of the calories
| Per serving172 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 728 kcal | 424 kcal |
| Protein | 9.2 g | 5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 121.3 g | 70 g |
| of which sugars | 50.3 g | 29 g |
| Fibre | 2.7 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 23.8 g | 14 g |
| of which saturated | 10.0 g | 6 g |
| of which unsaturated | 12.5 g | 7 g |
Nearest database match used for jaggery. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Bihari recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.