Anarsa is one traditional Indian sweet made at home rather than bought at sweet shops, and it takes little effort to make. Even better, this particular recipe from ‘Foodzlife’ Youtube channel is about an instant version of Anarsa, i.e., without fermenting the dough.
There are two reasons why I like this recipe. One, Anarsa is a traditional North Indian sweet that is getting forgotten very fast. I guess making sweets are home even during festivals is no longer a tradition for many families. So naturally, videos like this go a long way in keeping the knowledge about our traditional foods accessible to those interested.
Two, Anarsa can be 100% vegan, i.e., dairy-free. The ingredients of the sweet are all dairy-free anyway, and Anarsa can be fried in vegetable oil. I guess here, but perhaps cold-pressed sesame oil (non-toasted sesame) may be the right cooking oil for frying Anarsa.
One needs only a few ingredients to make Anarsa: rice flour, jaggery (from sugar cane), cardamom powder, sesame and poppy seeds, and oil for frying. Poppy seeds are avoidable if you can’t find them.
If you have never made or eaten Anarsa before, well, this is your chance. Once you watch the video, you will instantly have the confidence to try it. And I know you will love it.
The video is in Hindi, but thankfully it has English captions. I am looking for a video on Anarsa in English. So far, no luck.
Video credit: Foodzlife Youtube channel.