Arisa Pithe from Orissa / Sweet Brown Rice Crisp

Adapted from http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2009/06/arisa-pitha.html

Brown Rice Flour - 1 cup
Grated Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Black Pepper - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Ghee - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Sesame Seeds / Poppy Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Peanut Oil for deep frying
Water - 1/4 cup
Brown Rice Flour for dusting the patties

Heat the water in a big sauce pan. Add the jaggery and a pinch of salt  and cook on low fire till the jaggery is completely melted and the syrup begins to boil. Once the syrup reaches one thread consistency, remove from fire.

Add a tsp of ghee to the sauce and mix well. Add the pepper powder, fennel seeds and brown rice flour and continuously stir the mixture till there are no lumps.

Once the mixture comes together as a ball, keep aside to cool a little.

When the mixture has cooled just enough to handle, using dry brown rice flour and a little ghee applies to the palms, make small balls of the dough and press to form patties. Sprinkle some sesame seeds / poppy seeds on top and press them so that they slick to the patties firmly on top. The ball and the patties should be made when the mixture is still warm as the mixtures turns very hard when it cools down.

Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the patties gently till brown. Remove them very carefully as the patties remain soft even if they turn brown and they break easily.

Leave them on paper towel to soak up excess oil. They turn hard and crunchy when cooled.