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“Adhirasam was made for Diwali and Pongal in every Tamil household. The dough must rest overnight — patience is the secret ingredient. And the ghee you rub on your palms while shaping them must be real ghee. Our grandmothers would not hear of anything else.”

Ingredients

Raw rice (pacharisi), soaked 4 hours and ground to smooth dough	2 cups
Jaggery, grated	1½ cups
Cardamom powder	½ tsp
Dry ginger powder (sukku)	¼ tsp
Sree Kumaran Desi Cow Ghee (for hands and finishing)	2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying	for frying

Method

1. Soak raw rice in water for 4 hours. Drain and grind into a very smooth, thick dough. Transfer to a cloth and squeeze out excess moisture until dough is firm like chapati dough.
2. Dissolve jaggery in 3 tablespoons of water over medium heat. Strain to remove impurities. Cook the syrup until it reaches soft ball stage. Pour over the rice dough, add cardamom and dry ginger. Mix thoroughly into a sticky dough.
3. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature. The dough must ferment slightly — this is what gives adhirasam its distinctive deep flavour and soft interior.
4. Rub ghee on your palms. Pinch portions of dough and flatten between your palms into thick round discs about 1cm thick. Slightly thicker in the centre than the edges.
5. Heat oil to medium heat (not very hot). Slide the adhirasam in gently. Fry on one side for 3 minutes until deep golden, flip carefully, fry another 2 minutes. The outside should be crisp and dark brown.
6. Drain on paper. While still warm, press gently between two flat spatulas to squeeze out excess oil. Brush the top immediately with a small amount of ghee. This final ghee touch is what our grandmothers always did.