Varagu karupatti adhirasam, How to make millet adhirasam

Varagu karupatti adhirasam/ Kodo millet Palm jaggery adhirasam is a delicious South Indian deep fried sweet. it is prepared with homemade varagu flour/ kodo millet flour and palm jaggery. It can be prepared for festivals like Diwali and few other festivities.

Traditionally adhirasam is prepared with rice flour and jaggery/ karupatti. But wanted to try making it with millets and was super happy as it turned awesome.

I made this varagu karupatti adhirasam last year but had no time to post it, better late than never right, so decided to post it now for those curious minds like me. Before that did you guys check other millet snack recipe for diwali? Not yet check it here KAMBU OMPODI and KAMBU RIBBON PAKODA.

How to make millet adhirasam:

Soak of varagu/ kodo millet, dry it and grind it to powder.

Make palm jaggery syrup.

Mix jaggery syrup with millet flour to form dough.

Let it rest for 2 to 3 days

Finally shape and deep fry

Voila adhirasam/ ariselu is ready to relish.

Don’t judge it yet, might sound long but actually is easy to make. Though it is a time consuming process with little extra wait time I am sure there is not a single non lover of this palm jaggery adhirasam.

Palm jaggery instead of jaggery?

Many people argue / have confusion whether karupatti/ palm jaggery can be used/ replaced in all the dishes where jaggery is used? For all those friends my answer is BIG YES!! Till date I have made many recipes with palm jaggery/ karupatti (of course have posted only less😜 ) and obtaining string consistency is very easy compared to jaggery. Also people who like mild sweetness will definitely like sweets made with karupatti/ palm jaggery and achieving perfect results with karupatti is very easy for beginners. Last year I posted PALM JAGGERY/ KARUPATTI ADHIRASAM, KARUPATTI BOONDI LADOO, KARUPATTI PORI URUNDAI earlier to that I posted ADHIRASAM USING SUGAR which was also super hit in the blog. So let’s get to the making of Varagu karupatti adhirasam/ Kodo millet adhirasam.

Do check out the below link for interesting diwali recipes:
60+ Diwali sweets and snacks recipes

Varagu karupatti adhirasam, Kodo millet adhirasam

2021-10-21 21:11:55

Serves 4

Prep Time

24 hr

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

24 hr 25 min

Prep Time

24 hr

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

24 hr 25 min

Ingredients

1. Varagu / Kodo millet– ½ cup
2. Karupatti / Palm jaggery ¼ cup
3. Water – 2 tbsp
4. Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
5. Sukku powder – ¼ tsp
6. Oil – for deep frying
7. Ghee -1 tsp
8. White sesame seeds - 1 tbsp (optional)

Note

* 1 cup = 235 ml

Instructions

Wash and soak varagu/ kodo millet in water for 3 hours.
Meanwhile grate/ break the karupatti/ palm jaggery and keep it aside. My karupatti looked like crystals so dint grate it.
After 3 hours drain the water from the varagu/ kodo millet. Now in a muslin cloth spread the millet and allow it to dry for just 10 to 12 minutes not longer because we want the millet to be damp. So how do you find this?
After 10 to 12 minutes touch the varagu/ kodo millet with your palms and the millet should stick to your palm. The rice should be damp/ wet but not your hands. There should be water in the varagu/ kodo millet but not a drop of water should be seen your hand after you touch the millet. No need to put the milletunder sun, just fan dry will be good/ or even in the kitchen countertop is fine.
Now in a small blender/ mixie add the millet and grind it a fine powder. (I know its little hard to understand for beginners, but don’t give up, you will succeed)
Now sieve the flour to a bowl using siever to get rid of corse millet grain. Now press the millet flour in the bowl so that the moisture content is retained. We need to be really quick after this step as timing is important. If the flour becomes dry making adhirasam becomes tough.
Now add karupatti/ palm jaggery and water in a pan. When the palm jaggery is completely melted using a strainer filter the palm jaggery syrup.
Now add the jaggery syrup back in the pan. Allow the syrup to boil in medium flame. When the bubbles start forming try taking a drop of the syrup to check the consistency. We need 1 string consistency for the adhirasam as seen in the image. 1 string consistency willl be reached in 1 minute for this quantity of karupatti. When the stage is reached put off the flame.
Now to homemade varagu/ kodo millet flour add cardamom powder, sukku powder and white sesame seeds. Now to this add the karupatti syrup. Keep mixing well and you will find a flowing consistency batter which will thicken in a day or 2. Let the dough rest outside for a day and this rest time helps the adhirasam to be soft.
Next day the dough would look a tight and that is how it is supposed to look. Heat oil in a frying pan. Now take a small portion of varagu adhirasam dough and place it in ziploc cover. Now place another ziploc over it and press with any cap or bowl to flatten it. Do not flatten too thin as want it to be little thick so that adhirasam does not become crispy. Now drop the adhirasam in oil and fry them in low to medium flame. When one side is done the adhirsam will puff up and come up, then you can flip it and fry till golden brown. When done remove from oil in a slotted spoon, then place another spoon or spatula on top of the adhirasam to flatten and to drain excess oil. Now place it on a paper towel. Repeat the process until you finish the whole dough. Serve it! The leftover dough can be refrigerated and adhirasam can be stored in air tight container.

Notes

1. Make sure to soak varagu/ kodo millet for 3 hours only. If you want to use store bought kodo millet flour dry roast the flour for a minute then use it for making adhirasam.
2. Dry the rice for 10 to 12 minutes only and make sure the millet is still damp. Timing might be more or less depending on where you live and the climate.
3. Grind the millet to a fine powder.
4. Do not add all the syrup at a time, instead add it to the flour gradually so you don’t loose the consistency. Give the dough rest time for a day or 2 to get soft adhirasam. You can keep the dough outside in room temperature.
5. If the batter is watery after 2 days also try adding extra flour and cook the mixture for a minute and it should work.
6. If the dough is dry/ hard try adding little milk and the batter will get soft.
7. Make sure the oil is hot enough for frying and cook the adhirasam in low to medium flame.

By Sandhya Riyaz

Sandhya's recipes https://www.sandyathome.com/

How to make Varagu karupatti adhirasam/ Kodo millet adhirasam with step by step images

Wash and soak varagu/ kodo millet in water for 3 hours. Meanwhile grate/ break the karupatti/ palm jaggery and keep it aside. My karupatti looked like crystals so dint grate it. After 3 hours drain the water from the varagu/ kodo millet. Now in a muslin cloth spread the millet and allow it to dry for just 10 to 12 minutes not longer because we want the rice to damp. So how do you find this? After 10 to 12 minutes touch the varagu/ kodo millet with your palms and the millet should stick to your palm. The varagu should be damp/ wet but not your hands. There should be water in the varagu/ kodo millet but not a drop of water should be seen your hand after you touch the millet. No need to put the millet under sun, just fan dry will be good/ or even in the kitchen countertop is fine.
Now in a small blender/ mixie add the millet and grind it to a fine powder. (I know its little hard to understand for beginners, but don’t give up, you will succeed)
Now sieve the flour to a bowl using siever to get rid of corse millet grain. Now press the millet flour in the bowl so that the moisture content is retained. We need to be really quick after this step as timing is important. If the flour becomes dry making adirasam becomes tough.
Now add karupatti/ palm jaggery and water in a pan. When the palm jaggery is completely melted using a strainer filter the palm jaggery syrup. Now add the jaggery syrup back in the pan. Allow the syrup to boil in medium flame. When the bubbles start forming try taking a drop of the syrup to check the consistency. We need 1 string consistency for the adhirasam as seen in the image. 1 string consistency will be reached in 1 minute for this quantity of karupatti. When the stage is reached put off the flame.
Now to homemade varagu/ kodo millet flour add cardamom powder, sukku powder and white sesame seeds. Now to this add the karupatti syrup. Keep mixing well.
Keep mixing and you will find a flowing consistency dough which will thicken in a day or 2. Let the dough rest outside for a day and this rest time helps the adhirasam to be soft. Apply few drops of ghee on the top of the batter so that it does not dry.
Next day the dough would look a tight and that is how it is supposed to look. Heat oil in a frying pan. Now take a small portion of varagu adhirasam dough and place it in ziploc cover. Now place another ziploc over it and press with any cap or bowl to flatten it. Do not flatten too thin as want it to be little thick so that adhirasam does not become crispy.
Now drop the adhirasam in oil and fry them in low to medium flame. When one side is done the adhirsam will puff up and come up, then you can flip it and fry till golden brown. When done remove from oil in a slotted spoon, then place another spoon or spatula on top of the adhirasam to flatten and to drain excess oil. Now place it on a paper towel. Repeat the process until you finish the whole dough. Serve it! The leftover dough can be refrigerated and adhirasam can be stored in air tight container.

Notes

Make sure to soak Kodo millet/ Varagu for 3 hours only. If you want to use store bought millet flour dry roast the flour for a minute then use it for making adhirasam.
Dry the soaked millet for 10 to 12 minutes only and make sure the millet is still damp. Timing might be more or less depending on where you live and the climate.
Grind the millet to a fine powder.
Do not add all the syrup at a time, instead add it to the flour gradually so you don’t loose the consistency. Give the dough rest time for a day or 2 to get soft adhirasam. You can keep the dough outside in room temperature.
If the batter is watery after 2 days also try adding extra flour and cook the mixture for a minute and it should work.
If the dough is dry/ hard try adding little milk and the batter will get soft.
Make sure the oil is hot enough for frying and cook the adhirasam in low to medium flame.