Kajjaya Recipe – detailed step by step video instructions to make the traditional sweet.

Kajjaya or athirasam is very traditional festival food, prepared usually during DeepavaLi festival. This is a tricky sweet until you master the jaggery syrup consistency, then it is going to be an easy dish.  You can try other karnataka sweet recipes like rave unde, sajjappa, and yereyappa more by clicking on Sweet recipes

Ingredients for kajjaya recipe:

• 1 cup rice
• ¼ cup water
• ½ cup jaggery
• 3 to 4 cardamoms (finely crushed)
• Little ghee or oil
• Oil to fry

Yields around 10 to 12 Atirasa or kajjaya

Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
2. Drain the water and spread it on a clean towel for 30 to 40 minutes. Don’t dry the rice completely. Rice has to have some moisture in it,
3. Then grind the slightly wet rice to a fine powder, if this powder is too coarse  you can sieve the rice flour.
4. Transfer the rice flour to a bowl, add cardamom powder.Mix it well
5. Heat the jaggery along with the water on medium heat. If the jaggery has impurities clean this before you make the dough.
6. Making the jaggery syrup is the important step in making the kajjaya.
7. Once the jaggery syrup starts to become thick check for the consistency, you have to get the soft ball consistency.
8. To check soft ball consistency – take some water in a bowl and drop little jaggery syrup into the water, when you gather the syrup you should be able to make a soft jaggery ball. To know the right consistency check the video.
9. Reduce the heat to low .Now add the rice flour little by little mix stirring continuously. Don’t add all the rice flour. Look for the right consistency and stop adding the rice flour. Watch the video
10. Leave it for a minute or 2 then add ½ tsp little oil mix well. Turn off the heat .
11. The dough will be a bit loose but it will come to the correct consistency when it cools completely.
12. Transfer it to a greased container, cover it keep it aside for 24 hours to 2 days. (do not refrigerate the dough

To Make the kajjaya:

1. After 24 hours, dough should be like chapathi dough.
2. Grease the plastic sheet and your palms,
3. Divide the dough into 10 to 12 equal parts,
4. Take one portion of the dough, make it a ball and flatten it.
5. Place a ball on the greased sheet and pat with your finger tips into a flat circle. It has be thick rounds. Make few and keep it ready
6. Heat the required amount of oil in a pan on medium heat
7. Once the oil is hot ,(check by adding little dough, it has to come up immediately) , slide the prepared athirasam or kajjaya one by one, (quantity depends on the amount of oil), fry them until both sides turn golden brown. Flip it in between.
8. Remove it and press it in between 2 ladles to remove extra oil, then transfer it onto a paper towel.
9. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining dough.

Important Tips:

1. If the dough is too hard add warm water and knead it again to make it soft.
2. If the dough is loose either you can add maida or wheat flour or keep it back on the stove until it thickens.
3. When you make the kajjaya if it disintegrates or breaks in the oil, add some maida or wheat flour to the dough and mix it, and make the kajjaya. Say 1 to 2 tsp for this measurement