Kumaoni Arsa
Veg
Vegan
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.
Cuisines
Kumaoni
Best for
Snacks
Dessert
Recipe
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 60 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1 cup | rice |
| 1 cup | jaggery |
| 1 cup | water |
| 1 cup | wheat flour |
| 1 teaspoon | fennel seeds |
| — | ghee for deep frying |
Instructions
- 1 Wash the rice thoroughly and spread it out on a clean cloth to dry completely.
- 2 Once the rice is dry, grind it into a fine powder to make rice flour.
- 3 In a pan, add jaggery and water. Heat until the jaggery dissolves completely, forming a syrup.
- 4 In a mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, wheat flour, and fennel seeds.
- 5 Gradually add the jaggery syrup to the flour mixture, kneading to form a smooth dough.
- 6 Divide the dough into small, equal-sized balls.
- 7 Heat ghee in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
- 8 Fry the dough balls in batches until they are golden brown and cooked through.
- 9 Remove from the ghee and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Tips
Ensure the rice is completely dry before grinding to get a fine powder.