Mawa Anarsa Goli (Bihari Style Anarsa)

These crisp little golis are my family's Bihari take on anarsa, made round instead of flat and rolled in sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds. Soaked rice, a quick sugar syrup, and soft mawa come together into a dough with no days of waiting for fermentation. Crisp outside, soft inside, and perfect with a hot cup of chai during Sawan, Teej, or Diwali.

Course Dessert, sweets

Cuisine bihari

Keyword anarsa recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 4

Servings Golis

Calories 99kcal

Author Puja

Equipment

Ingredients

1½ cups short-grain fragrant rice such as Gobindo Bhog or Jeera Samba, soaked for 3 hours
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
50 g mawa khoya, crumbled
White sesame seeds as needed
Oil or ghee for deep frying

Instructions

Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for 3 hours. Drain all the excess water.
Spread the soaked rice on a clean cotton cloth and let it dry under a fan for about 30 minutes. It should feel dry on the outside but still hold a little moisture inside.
Grind the rice into a slightly coarse powder, finer than sooji but coarser than regular rice flour.
In a heavy-bottomed kadai, combine the water and sugar. Cook until the syrup reaches one-string (ek taar) consistency.
Reduce the heat and gradually add the ground rice, stirring continuously so no lumps form. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then switch off the heat.
Let the mixture cool until warm. Add the crumbled mawa and knead well until you get a smooth dough.
Take small portions of the dough and roll them into smooth, marble-sized balls.
Lightly wet one side of each ball with a little water and coat it with white sesame seeds. You can coat one side or the entire ball, depending on preference.
Heat oil or ghee over medium heat. Once medium hot, gently slide in a few golis at a time.
Turn them slowly and patiently while frying. Fry until evenly golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Notes

Use short-grain fragrant rice like Gobindo Bhog or Jeera Samba. Whole basmati does not work well, but broken basmati (tukda) is a good substitute.

The soaked rice should be semi-dry, not fully dry, before grinding.

Cook the sugar syrup only to one-string consistency. Cooking it further can make the dough crack instead of bind. Keep the dough covered while it rests.

If it dries out, knead in 1 to 2 teaspoons of melted ghee, and a little milk if it is still dry.

Small cracks on the surface while frying are normal and mean the golis have turned crisp.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.

Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition