Kaju Aluwa

Kaju Aluwa

How to make raw rice flour

You will find raw rice flour in practically every Indian and Sri Lankan store but if you can’t find it locally, you can buy it online. Or, you can easily make it by soaking some white rice (not instant or minute rice) for 3 to 6 hours (no more than six). Rinse and drain the rice, then spread out over a clean tea towel to dry out for an hour or so. Place the damp rice, half a cup at a time, into a blender or food processor, and pulse to break up the grains, then blitz until you have flour. Once you have your rice flour, gently dry it out in a large skillet over a medium heat for a few minutes, until all the steam has evaporated. Once cooled, store as you would any other flour. Every cup of raw rice will yield around 1¼ cup of flour.

If you have a high-powered blender that is capable of making nut butters, you can skip the soaking stage, and just grind the raw rice straight out of the packet. You also won’t need to dry it out in a skillet afterward.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2¼ cups raw rice flour , divided
• ½ cup chopped cashews
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed , ground
• 4 cardamom pods (seeds only), ground

 

Instructions

1. Coat a large cutting board with raw rice flour.
2. Place the sugar and water into a medium-size pan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, and gently boil for 5 minutes.
3. While the syrup is boiling, place 2 cups of rice flour into a large skillet over a medium-low heat, and gently roast for 5 minutes, keeping the flour moving all the time so it doesn't burn.
4. Once the syrup is ready, stir in the chopped cashews and ground spices, and then mix in the roasted rice flour, a little at a time, making sure it's fully incorporated. You will need to work quite fast, as the dough becomes stiff quite quickly
5. Turn out the dough onto the floured board, and shape into an even ½ inch thick square or rectangle. Smooth some more rice flour over the top.
6. Cut into square or diamond shapes, and serve.
7. This kaju aluwa will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.