Impossibly thin rice starch sheets spread with ghee, sugar and dried fruits then folded into delicate parcels — the paper sweet of Atreyapuram village in Andhra.
Ingredients
For the sheets (extremely difficult to make at home — these require a specific pot and technique):
1 cup rice flour — dissolved in 4 cups water to make a very thin starch liquid
A curved clay pot
For filling:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp ghee
2 tbsp cashews — finely chopped
2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp almonds — finely chopped
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
Home approach using spring roll sheets:
8 spring roll wrappers or rice paper sheets (thinnest available)
Plus filling ingredients as above
Method
Traditional method requires months of practice: heat a curved clay pot bottom-up.
Dip a cloth in the thin rice starch liquid.
Smear very quickly and thinly over the hot curved surface. The paper-thin sheet sets in seconds. Peel off immediately.
Home version with spring roll sheets: soften one spring roll wrapper or rice paper in warm water 20 seconds until pliable.
Spread a thin layer of melted ghee on the sheet.
Sprinkle powered sugar, chopped cashews, raisins, almonds and cardamom powder over one half.