Traditional Sri Lankan Athirasa Recipe

 What is Athirasa

Athirasa is a Sri Lankan food. It belongs to the sweet food category. Athirasa is a combination of rice flour, roasted rice, coconut treacle, coconut oil, and cardamom. When preparing Athirasa, the ingredients are formed into a paste that is flattened into circles, then deep-fried in hot oil. Tamil people, this food is called adhirasam, or Amutharasam.

Athirasa is prepared and served for festive occasions, especially Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Also, it is served for weddings, alms-giving and they're usually served with other sweets such as Kokis, Aluva, Mun Keum, and Keum. Athirasa is also a famous sweet in India. During Diwali, this food is served in India. Athirasa is served on festive occasions along with other sweets such as Keum, Kokis, and Aluva.

Athirasa

Sinhala and Tamil New Year

Most of the countries in the world except a few countries like India, China, Sri Lanka, celebrate the new year on the 1st of January. Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a Sri Lankan traditional festival and is the biggest celebration in Sri Lanka. It starts on the 13th of April and ends on the 14th of the month. The movement of the sun from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pieces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) Sri Lanka represents the new year in April with a lot of firecrackers, fireworks, rituals, customs, games, and traditional sweets like Kiribath (Milk Rice), Keum, Kokis, Aluva.

Rituals of Sinhala and Tamil New Year

• Neutral period (Nonagathe)
• Lighting the hearth (Lipa gini melaweema)
• First meal at the Avurudu table (Ahara anubawaya)
• Starting work and exchanging money (Weda alleema saha ganu denu kireema)
• Anointing oil (Hisa thel gaama)

Sinhala and Tamil New Year Traditional Food Table

Food is a major part of the new year celebrations in Sri Lanka. Cooking foods and eating foods are important customs in this celebration. During the custom of cooking foods, the housewife prepares a special Kiribath. And also in this time prepare a huge table called as new year food table, with Kiribath (Milk Rice), bananas, sweets like Keum, Kokis, Thalaguli, Aggala, Aasmi, Aluva, and many other traditional sweets.

The Tamil people also celebrate the New Year that is known as ‘Puthandu’. Their new year also has traditions, culture, customs, and rituals. But, the Tamil traditions are slightly different from the traditions followed by the Sinhala people. The way of wish and expectation for the dawning of the New Year is common to everyone.

Types of Foods in Sinhala and Tamil New Year Celebration

There are some special foods prepared for Sinhala and Tamil New Year Celebration. Some special foods in the traditional food table are following.

• Milk Rice

This is a Sri Lankan traditional dish which is made from two ingredients: Rice and Coconut Milk

• Hath Maluwa

This is also a Sri Lankan traditional mixed vegetable curry which is made from seven vegetables. It has great flavour and it is excellent for health.

• Konda Keum

Konda Keum is a deep fried cake which is made with rice flour, honey and spices.

• Mun Keum

This is a type of keum which contains rice flour and mun flour. It has a crunchy texture and is a diamond shaped sweet.

• Kokis
• Aasmi
• Athirasa
• Aluva
• Aggala

Ingredients of Athirasa

This recipe used cheap, and easily found ingredients. Also, the preparation method is very easy. Anyone can make this recipe without hard effort.

• Sugar or honey(treacle)
• Rice flour
• Fried caps
• Coconut Oil
• Sesame seeds
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Salt

Athirasa Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 750 grams Sugar Instead of sugar, you can add honey 1/2 bottle.
• 1 ½ kilograms Rice flour
• 200 grams Fried caps
• 2 bottles Coconut Oil
• 100 grams Sesame seeds
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• If there is no honey take sugar 750g. Then add about a pinch of water and make a sugar syrup.
• If there is honey, put it into a pan and put the pan on the stove.
• Once the sugar syrup or honey reaches the threading point, add fried caps, sesame seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and mix them.
• After one minute, remove it from the stove.
• Then add enough rice flour to the sugar syrup and cook on low heat. (The flour should be boiled so that it doesn't stick to the hands.)
• Then, add salt and mix.
• Next, it removes from the stove and put the mixture on a ball.
• Put 2 cups of water in the bowl in which the mixture was made and make porridge.
• Add the porridge and knead well until the boiled flour mixture is soft.
• Then flat it.
• Put oil into a pan.
• When it is well heated, add the flattered balls one at a time and fry them.