Diwali preparations in India begin two months in advance. Houses are painted, walls are decorated, new clothes are bought, shops are stacked with firecrackers and an enormous variety of sweets and savouries are prepared.
One of the most important sweets of Diwali is the anarsa. It is very popular in central and western India. In some parts of Maharashtra, offering a ‘bhog’ of anarsa to the lord marks the beginning of the festival.
I had the anarsa in Bihar when I was in India one Diwali, thanks to the MasterChef shoot. Made of rice, banana and clarified butter, and topped with tiny poppy seeds, this sweet requires considerable practice to make. You need to get just the right consistency and put in the exact quantity of banana. The indication of a perfect anarsa is that its upper crust acquires a net-like texture, while the underside remains smooth and even.
Though the method is almost the same, the shape of the anarsa in central India differs from that in western India. In central India, it is round like a ball while in Maharashtra it is flatter.
1½ cups rice
1½ cups sugar, powdered
¼ cup whole milk
½ ripe banana, mashed
1½ tbsp poppy seeds
2 cups clarified butter
Wash rice twice and soak in water for 3 days, draining and refreshing the water every day. On the fourth day, drain rice and set aside in a sieve for 20 minutes to drain thoroughly. Spread the drained rice on a clean muslin cloth or kitchen towel and set aside to dry for about 4 hours. Using a grinder, grind the dried rice to a fine powder and sift it through a fine-meshed sieve. In a mixing bowl, combine the rice powder with powdered sugar. Mix thoroughly, and when the mixture comes together like a dough, shape into a tight ball. Place the ball in an airtight container and set aside for 4 hours. Transfer dough to a wide bowl. Wet your palms with milk and knead dough till it holds together. Mix in ½ tsp of mashed banana at a time till dough is slightly sticky. The dough should not become soft or soggy. Divide dough into marble-sized pieces, shape into small balls and cover with a damp muslin cloth. To shape the anarsa, sprinkle a pinch of poppy seeds on a piece of clean, thick plastic and place a marble of dough on the poppy seeds. Using your fingertips, flatten the dough into a 2" disc. Repeat with 10 more portions of dough. Melt clarified butter in a kadhai (wok) over low heat. Meanwhile, shape a few more anarsas. Carefully slide an anarsa, poppy-seed side up, into the hot clarified butter and control the anarsa with a frying spoon to prevent it from spreading out too much. (When the anarsa is added to the clarified butter, it tends to spread, due to the moisture of the sugar.) When the anarsa is golden and the surface resembles a fine mesh, remove and drain on absorbent paper. Cool to room temperature and serve.
NOTE: The prepared anarsas can be stored in an airtight container for up to 10 days. The dough (without milk) can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 months.