Rice Flour Aggala

Aggala

Whooo-hooo, childhood memory time! I mean tastebud memory lane, so something like that. Aggala (අග්ගලා) is one of my favorite Sri Lankan sweets, the memory of my mother making them, the aroma in the house, and everything in-between just gets me nostalgic. Of course, these treats were part of the New Years’ festivities, but that never stopped my merry band of siblings from making an occasional request to have them prepared.  The treat is made with roasted rice, jaggery or honey, coconuts, and pepper and has a mild sweetness and peppery flavor. The traditional recipe does not call for shredded coconuts, when you add raw coconuts you cannot keep them for a long time. So if you want to you can try this recipe either with coconuts or without coconuts depending on the shelf life you are targetting. 

Aggala

Instead of using jaggery or honey for this recipe, I’ve used bee’s honey from Saaraketha. Bee’s honey is a very commonly used ingredient in my kitchen and I’ve been using it for many recipes that call for sweetener. According to Healthline.com honey is rich in antioxidants, can be consumed by diabetics, it reduces total and “bad” LDL cholesterol while significantly raising “good” HDL cholesterol and many more – Read more health benefits of honey from Here 

Aggala

You can use either store-bought rice flour or homemade rice flour to make this recipe. If you are looking for an easy way then just go for the store-bought option, else use the rice that you have at home. I’ve used Kalu Heenati Rice from Saaraketha which is a traditional Sri Lankan rice type. Unlike regular rice types, Kalu Heenaati has a unique smell, flavor as well as more nutritious. These traditional rice types are often used to make kiribath (milk rice) or other sweets during the new year’s season. There are many types of traditional rice available, Click Here to view more.

Ingredients

• 01 cup of wild bee honey – Shop Now 
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 1/2 cups of kalu heenati rice – Shop Now 
• 01 cup of finely grated coconuts
• 01 tsp of pepper cones – adjust to your preference
• 1/2 tsp of salt – adjust to your preference
• 1/4 cup of roasted rice four for coating

Cooking time – 15-20 minutes      Serving – 12 medium-sized Aggala

Method

• Wash and drain the rice and place on a kitchen towel to let dry completely.
• Heat up a large skillet over medium heat, add dried rice, pepper cones, and roast it for 07-10 minutes until golden brown. Make sure you stir it from time to time so the rice won’t get burned.
• Transfer the roasted rice into a flat tray or plate and let it cool down to room temperature.
• Add the rice to a grinder and grind to fine flour.
• Next heat up a large wok or cooking pot over low heat and add bee honey, water, salt and give it a good mix. Cook in low flame till it bubbles and gradually add about 1 1/4 cups of rice flour to the mixture stirring continuously. Stir well to combine everything evenly.
• Next, add grated coconut and mix again. The mixture should have a little moisture so it’s easy to roll them into balls. If your mixture is too wet, add a bit more flour or add a bit more honey if it’s too dry.

Aggala Mixture

• Once done, scoop a bit from a cookie scoop or a spoon and roll into desired size balls using your palms.
• Add the additional rice flour into a bowl and the rolled balls and coat well with flour.

Aggala coated with rice flour

• Repeat the process until you finish the mixture.
• Enjoy this delicious and healthy snack with your evening tea or snack if whenever you crave something sweet.

Aggala