KAVUNI ARISI

Kavuni Arisi is a very special dish in chettinad.  I has its origin from the Burmese influence of Chettinad. No Chettinad function is complete without Kavuni Arisi in its menu.  Kavuni Arisi is made from a dark violet glutinous rice, which is a very rich source of "Vitamin B".  It is available in Tamil Nadu in many of the shops.  You have to ask for "Karuppu Arisi".  Otherwise available in Singapore and Malaysia.  Sree Krishna Sweets also used to make Halwa from this rice and was named as "Apsi Halwa".  Nowadays we also make payasam which also tastes excellent.  Its very easy to make, uses very less ingredients and is very delicious.

Here is a snap of the raw rice of how it looks.

Ingredients
Kavuni Arisi - 1 cup (soak overnight)
Water - 3 cups
Sugar - 2 cups
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup





Method
1)   Pressure cook the soaked rice in 3 cups of water for about 30 minutes.

2)   After the pressure is released mash the rice nicely with your ladle.  You can reserve about 2 to 3 tb.sp of the unmashed rice and mash the rest.

3)   Now add sugar and coconut.  Cook till it reaches a thick consistency.

4)   Serve hot or cold.

5)   If you are planning to prepare for guests, you can prepare it a day ahead and keep it in a air-tight refrigerator and serve hot or cold next day.  This way the rice also absorbs the sweetness of the sugar.

6)   Both ways, whether served on the same day or next day it tastes great.