Happy Tamil New Year to all my readers
Today is the first day of Tamil New Year. Also known as Chittirai Varusha Pirappu, this day always close to my heart. Today we started our tour to various temples early. We had a nice darshan at Sai temple and then we went to Azhagar Kovil and had a nice darshan of Azhagar. We had the famous azhagar kovil dosai and enjoyed the scenery of the azhagar hills. I am very happy to start this year with all these wonderful darshans. Hope this year atleast fills me with happiness unlike last year.
Today as part of the Indian Food Odyssey, we are visiting Kerala virtually. Known as God’s Own Country, it is in the south western part of India and it shares it borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. For me Kerala is all about vacations. After marriage, I have gone to Munnar a few times and Thekkadi once. As Theni, my homeplace is near Kerala border, we visit these places quite frequently. Though I don’t know Malayalam, it is so much similar to Tamil so that we could understand it a little. I love the scenic beauty of Kerala and I just love to stay there. Boat house of Kerala is in to visit list for long and I have been pestering hubby dear to take me there. I also have visited Guruvaayur and Malampuzha dam once during school days and those memories are still fresh.
I love their cuisine with lots and lots of coconut. I do prepare them at home. But whenever we visit Munnar, we had to eat at the road side eateries which serve only non vegetarian dishes. There is only the kadala curry available as the vegetarian version. We used to relish the gravy with Kerala Parotta. The only thing I hate during my Kerala visits is the big brown rice. We are so used to the tiny ponni rice and the Kerala rice seems so much bigger and we usually feel it difficult to chew. I love all types of snacks and pradamans from Kerala. Ela Ada is one such snack. It combines the goodness of rice flour, coconut and jaggery and it tastes wonderful. Somewhat similar to kozhukattai, this is very easy to prepare and has a great flavour as it is steamed in banana leaves. I loved the filling so much. Serve it while still warm and have a nice day!!!
Recipe Source: Kurry Leaves
Makes 8 Ela Ada
Ingredients:
For The Outer Dough:
Rice Flour-1 cup
Boiling Water
Salt-a pinch
For The Filling:
Grated Jaggery-1/2 cup
Water-3-4 tbs
Grated Coconut-3/4 cup
Cardamom Powder-1 pinch
Banana Leaves cut into rectangles
Procedure:
For The Filling:
1. Mix together jaggery and water and heat it until jaggery melts. Strain it to remove impurities.
2. In a pan mix together the syrup, coconut and cardamom powder and cook until the mixture becomes dry and aromatic.
3. Remove from flame and allow it to cool completely.
4. Divide into 8 equal portions.
For The Dough:
1. In a bowl mix together rice flour and salt.
2. Add enough boiling water to make a clumpy dough.
3. Once cool, knead it to form a smooth dough.
4. Divide it into 8 equal portions.
Preparing The Ada:
1. Wash and wipe the babana leaf rectangles.
2. Pat one portion of the dough on the leaf.
3. Place the filling on one side of the dough leaving 1/2 cm at the sides.
4. Close the leaf so that the dough without filling covers the filling completely.
5. Press to seal the dough.
6. After preparing all the adas, arrange them in a steamer and cook for 10-12 minutes.
7. Remove from steamer and allow it to cool slightly.
8. When still warm, serve.
9. Remove the leaf and enjoy the ada..
Add boiling water to flour to make a clumpy dough.
Knead to form a soft dough.
Divide into 8 portions.
Cut out rectangles form a banan leaf.
Prepare the filling.
Spread one portion of the dough on a babana leaf.
Place the filling on one half.
Fold the leaf so that the ada is fully covered.
Make all the adas.
Arrange in a steamer.
Steam cook for 10-12 minutes.
Arrange on a serving plate.
Remove from the leaf.
Enjoy!!!
Some of the picturesque places of Munnar…
That’s yummy akka
Love all your pictures Gayathri..so well done..I love this dish and remember making it for 100 ppl..it was such a memorable yet tough task!..the taste still lingers though..your picture surely looks sinful..
deliciously done Gayathri!! love those clicks and also the ones of the hills!!!
yummy n delicious…
What a sweet start to your New Year! The pictures are great. We make the same recipe in Maharashtra but with turmeric leaves.
Some of Tamil’s dishes and Thai’s look similar.
Ela ada looks so authentic and flavourful. I like your patient stepwise instructions too.
So delicious, hard to resist to this beautiful ela ada, i miss those greeny banana leaves here.
Looks awesome. Will try this weekend.
i love these banana leaf parcels they lend such a wonderful aroma to the dish..would love to try them…and nice clicks..
Same pinch I too made these cute parcels with parchment paper,yours has turned out perfectly..
My mouth is watering. Initially I had picked the same dish from the same site but gave up since I didn’t find the banana leaves.
Puthaandu nal vazhthikkal gayathri! May this year bring happiness, good health and success. Loved the adas. filling is yummy.
This tastes sinful, right? I remember having eaten at a friend’s place. Lovely pictures too.
photos are breathtaking and the recipe looks so delicious
That looks so delicious -=- love that filling. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pics of Kerala.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I usually make these in rains when we have fresh turmeric leaves never thought of using banana leaves. Thanks Gayatri now I do not have to wait till rains to enjoy this sinfully delicious delicacy.
Yumm ela ada!!! That is a great way to start the new year gayathri, i too have visited kerala during my college days.
Beautiful greenery! I would want to visit Kerala and have to see when it is going to happen. Your step by step pictures are useful in understanding how some of the traditional recipes are prepared. Ela ada looks yummy.
The travel pics look so refreshing and green! And also the ela ada looks perfectly done…