Kumaoni Arsa

Deep-fried festival sweet made from soaked and ground rice batter sweetened with jaggery syrup, shaped into thick round discs and fried in ghee until puffed and golden. Arsa is the ritual sweet of Kumaoni celebrations — Diwali, weddings, Uttarayani — made in large batches and distributed to neighbours. The Kumaoni version is thicker and denser than the Garhwali arsa, with a more prominent jaggery caramel flavour.