AKKARAVADISAL RECIPE - AKKARA ADISIL

     Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil is a divine sweet made in the temples of Srivilliputhur and Sri Rangam. Srirangam Temple has an inscription that mentions the method of preparing Akkaravadisal and the honours with which it should be served. Akkaravadisal is an authentic Iyengar(Vaishnava) Delicacy usually prepared as an Offering to God (Prasadham/Naivedhyam) during the month of Margazhi, a Tamil month(mid of Dec to mid of Jan). Akkaravadisal is offered to Lord Vishnu in Sri Rangam Temple on the auspicious Day of Panguni Uthiram.
     Akkaravadisal is a heavenly combination of Rice & Moong Dhal cooked in Milk, sweetened with Jaggery Syrup, flavoured with Cardamoms, edible camphor, Cashewnuts & Raisins along with copious amount of Ghee which gives a melt-in-mouth texture.  Sweet Pongal/Sarkkarai Pongal comes from the same regime, but is the simpler version of the former. The taste and flavour of this dish are elevated by traditional cooking methods used in Madapalli (Temple Kitchen), slow cooking in Wooden Fire in a Bronze Pot. As a part of Pongal, I thought I could share the recipe for Akkaravadisal which is my favourite.

This particular dish has a lot of significance and mentions in history and mythology.

Andal expresses her deep love for the Lord through her verses in Thiruppavai and Akkaravadisal gets a special mention in her verses.

Which means,
Oh, the divine Lord, who lives in the fragrant garden of Thirumaalirunjolai,
I have filled a hundred pots of Butter
And a hundred brimming pots of Akkara Adisal
Will the most praised Lord come & accept it today?

     Koodaravalli is an auspicious day observed on the 27th day of the Tamil month Marghazhi as a part of PAVAI NOMBU.  For each day of Margazhi, Sri Andal sang a verse of Thirupavai in the praise of Lord Vishnu. In her 27th Pasuram she along with other Gopikas, will happily dress and adorn herself with various ornaments and share Akkaravadisal, the sweetest and divine dish to mark the end of PAVAI NOMBU. The preparation of Akkaravadisal is similar to Sweet Pongal /Sakkarai Pongal with a couple of differences like the Rice and Dhal are cooked entirely with milk and copious amount of ghee, as Andal herself stated that the ghee should drip down the elbows in Akkaravadisal.

The verse goes as such...

27th Pasuram from Thiruppavai

     I always remember the verses from 'Nalayira Divaprabhandham' by 'Mudharakavi Azhwar' about Lord Shri Krishna -
Which means,
Whenever I eat Akkaravadisal, and if it is a prasadham the note goes to an extra level.

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Cuisine - South Indian
Recipe Type - Sweet, Dessert
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 3 - 4
Author - SM  

Preparation Time - 15 - 20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 - 45 Minutes

HOW TO COOK AKKARAVADISAL  - AKKARA ADISIL

AKKARAVADISAL RECIPE - AKKARA ADISIL

INGREDIENTS:

To Cook Rice & Dhal:

Raw Rice - 3/4 Cup
Moong Dhal - 1/4 Cup
Milk - 31/2 Cups

Water - 2 Cups
Salt - a Pinch (Optional)

For Jaggery Syrup:

Jaggery - 3/4 Cup
Water - 1/2 Cup
Ghee - 1 Teaspoon

For Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil:

Ghee - 1/3 Cup
Cashew nuts - 10–12 Nos.
Raisins  - 1 -11/2 Tablespoons
Cardamom - 4–5 Pods
Saffron - few Strands (Optional) 

Edible Camphor - a Pinch (Optional)

METHOD :

To Cook Rice & Dhal:

• Clean and wash the Rice and Dhal for 2–3 times or until water runs clear.
• Drain the Rice-Dhal mixture and keep it aside.
• Heat Ghee in a pan and roast the Rice Dhal Mixture for about 5–7 minutes until the colour changes slightly, and it turns fragrant. (Do not over roast)
• Add Rice Dhal Mixture into heavy bottomed pan/place it inside a bowl with a lid in a Pressure cooker.
• Pour 2 Cups of Water and 2 Cups of Milk and a pinch of Salt to the Rice Dhal Mixture and give a quick stir.
• Cover the Pressure cooker and cook for 3 Whistles on a high flame.
• Lower the flame and cook for another 3–5 whistles.
• Switch off the flame and allow the pressure to release.

For Jaggery Syrup:

• Melt Jaggery with 1/2 a Cup of Water and a Teaspoon of Ghee, on a medium-low flame until the Jaggery pieces dissolve completely, and it starts to boil.
• Switch off the flame, filter the melted Jaggery to remove any impurities and keep it aside.

For Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil:

• Grind Cardamom Pods with Mortar and Pestle into a fine Powder and keep it aside.
• Soak Saffron strands in a few teaspoons of Warm Milk and keep it aside.
• Slightly mash the cooked Rice and Dhal mix.
• Pour the melted Jaggery to the above along with powdered Cardamom and mix well.
• Leave this on a very low flame until Jaggery is well absorbed into the Rice and Dhal mix.
• Pour in the remaining 11/2 Cups of Milk and mix well.
• Cook this on a low flame for a few minutes.
  
• Pour in the Saffron Milk and cook for another few minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat Ghee in a pan and roast Cashew nuts until golden brown colour and Raisins fluff-up.
• Pour this onto the Rice-Dhal Mixture and mix well.
• Cook this on a low flame for a few more minutes until you get the desired consistency.
• Pour in the remaining Ghee to the Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil and mix well.
• Serve Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil hot with a hearty drizzle of Ghee over it.

NOTES:

• Roasting both rice and dhal in Ghee enhances the aroma and gives an even texture while cooking.
• Roast it on a very low flame until fragrant, over roasting can alter the flavour of the dish.
• Adjust the amount of Milk as for your rice variety.
• Use full-fat milk to cook Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil.
• Can substitute half the amount of Milk with Water if you prefer a simple Akkaravadisal.
• We need the rice and dhal to be well cooked, so a bit of extra Milk & Water would be needed (more than what we use normally for cooking the rice). 
• Do not over boil the Jaggery mix.  We don't need to boil it into string consistency for Akkaravadisal.
• Adjust the sweetness to suit your taste preference.
• Adding extra ghee is strictly optional, but gives a wonderful flavour to Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil. Traditionally the Pasurams mention about the extra note of Ghee in Akkaravadisil.
  
• Can flavour Akkaravadisal/Akkara Adisil with your choice of powdered Dry Ginger powder/Cloves/edible camphor. But adding these ingredients are purely optional.