DISH NAME : ELA ADA (SWEET RICE FLOUR PANCAKES IN BANANA LEAF)

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Description

Ada or Ela Ada,is a traditional Kerala delicacy. Since it's usually made in banana leaves, it's called ela ada. Ela means leaf in Malayalam. A dough made with rice flour, with sweet fillings and is steamed in banana leaf and served as an evening snack. Sometimes banana is also added to the filing. Also during jackfruit seasonSometimes the fillings inside ada would be Chakkavaratti or jackfruit preserve.

Ayurvedic Note

1) Easily digestible sweet food, as it is cooked in steam.
2) It's vata and pita combined.
3) increases kapha.
4)Strength giving food. Better to take in summer.
5) Not recommended for people with acidity.

Note

1) I have used nicely roasted rice flour. If flour is not well roasted, you may have to add less water.

Method

1) To the rice flour, add boiling hot water. Add little by little and mix water & rice flour together with a spoon. Keep aside till slightly cool. Then knead well.
2) To make the filling, warm jaggery till it melts.
3) Add coconut and ghee to it and cook lightly till coconut and jaggery forms a nice mix. Put off fire. Add cardamom and cumin powder. Mix well.
4) Cut banana leaves about 6inch * 4inch(approximate) pieces. You can make small or big adas according to your choice.
5) Spread thinly the rice dough on the banana leaves.
6) Add filling on one half of the dough. Fold the leaf in half.
7) Keep water to boil in a steamer.
8) Arrange banana leaf parcels onto a plate and steam for about 12 to 15 minutes on medium flame. To check if adas are cooked, open steamer and if ada seperates from the leaf it's cooked.

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot or warm in the banana leaf itself.