NETHI ARISELU

This is another traditional dish that is made during festival times for sure this dish is made during makara sankranti as it is the right time for the new harvest for the farmers we have new rice and jaggery they make this dish and store for the spl guests:) As varalakshmi puja is arriving and the festiv season is almost on its way more dishes will be cooked in indian kitchen.

Making this dish I recollected some beautiful child hood memories as kids we kids use to go grandparents house for each and every festival and their would be a big family gatherings.we kids use to enjoy playing and eating all those nice dishes prepared by grandma. I remember when ever Ariselu are prepared the servant was given instrutions to wakeup early at 5am to blend the rice flour as soon as the flour is ready grand use to sit front of the stove and make ariselu and grand pa use to help her press the ariselu after they are cooked to remove the excess ghee from it:)it was a dream that we cant forget those sweet memories of our life.

I wanted to come up with some spl dish of Andhra for this event of flour hosted by
Santhi for this month.So here is the dish what I came up with.



Ingredients:

1 kg rice.
3/4 kg jaggery (grated)/sugar.
2 tb sps of sesame seeds/1 cup cubed and shaloow fried coconut pieces.
Oil/ghee to fry.

Method:

First wash rice and soak it overnight and in the morning remove water completely (spread on a cloth for a few minutes to make sure that the rice is dry).Then make a fine powder of it in a blender (sieve if necessary) and set aside. The flour should be slightly damp.

Secondly add one cup of water to the grated jaggery/sugar and heat it in a pan till it melts. Heat it on low flame till it becomes thick syrup (a drop of the syrup dropped in a spoon of water should make noise and become lumpy and not melt).



When the syrup is ready add the rice flour to it slowly and stir well.If u would like to add coconut slices,fry the coconut slices in some ghee and mix to the flour when u mix the flour in the syrup. Remove flame and make sure that no lumps are formed. When the mixed flour becomes slightly cool make big lime size balls of it.



Heat oil in a thick bottom pan/wok. Pat each ball into a thin, round and flat disc on a banana leaf/plastic sheet or a foil sheet and dab it with a few sesame seeds. Fry each one in oil on low flame till deep brown and remove.



After they turn golden brown place it between two flat ladles and press to remove the excess oil/ghee. Repeat the procedure till the dough is over. When cool store them. They last for more than one month if we make them in right way and store it properly.