Cooking time Required: 30 mins
Cost of Preparation: 30-40 rupees
Ingredients: Rice ( raw rice , 2 cups ), sugar ( 1 1/2 cup ), water ( 3/4 cup ), ghee/oil for frying.
Preparation: Soak the rice for 2 hours. Drain all the water and spread on a cloth. Air dry for 4-5 hours till the wetness disappears. Do not dry under the sun .
Grind in a mixer grinder to a coarse powder . If a grinding stone can be used, it is preferable.
Cooking: Heat the water in a wok. Add the sugar and allow to dissolve. Bring to a boil . When it is sufficiently thickened and sticky , add the rice in small amounts and mix well.
Allow to cook, stirring at intervals till the mixture is firm enough to take a shape. As it quite tough to judge when the mixture is done, one can take out a small spoonful at intervals, allow to cool for a minute or two; and try to shape into a small disc.
Put aside the mixture to cool down a bit before shaping into small tikkis ( abt 4-5 mm thick). Put some ghee/oil on the hands when trying to shape the mixture.(My grand-mother always shaped the pitha when the mixture was still quite hot as the pithas do not turn brittle. God knows how she managed it.)
Heat oil in a wok for deep frying . Put in the pitha ( one at a time ) and cook for 2-3 min.
Remove and allow to cool down.
Arisa pitha can be stored in air-tight containers for upto a month.
Note - Arisa pitha is traditionally prepared with jaggery instead of sugar.