Anarsa

Name: Anarsa
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Maharashtra)
Ingredients: 2 cups (380 g) short-grain rice (washed, soaked in water for 3 days — change water daily); 1 cup (160 g) dark jaggery, grated; 2 tsp ghee (for dough); ½ tsp cardamom powder; ¼ cup (25 g) poppy seeds (khus khus) — for coating; Ghee for deep frying (ghee preferred over oil for authentic flavour); The 3-day soak is non-negotiable — it is the foundation of anarsa's unique fermented-honey taste; Change the soaking water daily to prevent off-flavours; Add absolutely no water when grinding — the dough must bind only on the soaked rice's residual moisture; Fry in ghee on low heat only — high heat browns the outside before the inside cooks, creating a raw-tasting centre

🟢 Veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Hard

A Diwali-exclusive deep-fried sweet from rural Maharashtra — rice soaked for 3 days, ground to a fine paste with jaggery, shaped into flat rounds coated with poppy seeds, and deep-fried in ghee until crisp outside and soft within. The 3-day soaking ferments the rice slightly, giving Anarsa a unique slightly tangy, honeyed depth that no other sweet replicates. Made by Marathwada and Konkan grandmothers only during Diwali.

⏱️120 minPrep

🔥30 minCook

🕒150 minTotal

🍽️6Serves

🧺 Ingredients

2 cups (380 g) short-grain rice (washed, soaked in water for 3 days — change water daily)
1 cup (160 g) dark jaggery, grated
2 tsp ghee (for dough)
½ tsp cardamom powder
¼ cup (25 g) poppy seeds (khus khus) — for coating
The 3-day soak is non-negotiable — it is the foundation of anarsa's unique fermented-honey taste
Change the soaking water daily to prevent off-flavours

👩‍🍳 How to make Anarsa

Wash rice thoroughly.
Soak in fresh water for 3 full days, changing the water each morning.
By day 3, the rice will have softened considerably and the water will have a slight fermented sourness — this is correct.
Drain all water completely.
Spread on a clean cloth and allow to dry for 2–3 hours until surface moisture is gone (not bone dry — just not dripping).
Grind the dried soaked rice in a mixer/grinder to a smooth paste — adding absolutely no water (the residual moisture in the rice is sufficient).
Grind in 2–3 batches.
The paste should be fine and smooth.
Add grated jaggery and cardamom to the paste.
Grind again until fully combined.
Transfer to a bowl.
Add 2 tsp ghee.
Knead the mixture for 2–3 minutes until it comes together into a cohesive, pliable dough.
Rest covered for 30 minutes.
Spread poppy seeds on a flat plate.
Pinch a lemon-sized ball (~30 g) of dough.
Place on the poppy seeds.
Press with wet fingertips into a round, flat disc about 6–7 cm diameter and 4–5 mm thick.
The poppy seeds will coat the underside.
Flip carefully; poppy seeds will coat the top as well. *The discs are fragile — handle gently.*
Heat ghee in a wide, flat pan over low-medium heat (150°C — ghee should not be smoking).
Gently slide 3–4 anarsa into the ghee (poppy side down first).
Fry on low heat for 3–4 minutes until the underside is set and golden.
Flip carefully with a flat spatula.
Fry for another 2–3 minutes until uniformly golden and the edges are crisped.
Remove with a slotted spatula.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Cool completely — anarsa crisp up as they cool.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 280 kcal | 4 g | 42 g | 11 g | 2 g | One of the most time-consuming and traditional Diwali sweets — requires 3 days of preparation, which is why it is made exclusively during the Diwali period when there is sufficient advance planning. Marathwada, Vidarbha and Konkan grandmothers are considered the best anarsa makers; the skill is increasingly rare in urban households due to the 3-day commitment. Given the effort involved, anarsa gifted during Diwali is considered a mark of genuine affection. Disappearing from commercial mithai shops — almost entirely a home sweet now. ---

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