Ela Ada/Ilai Adai – Onam Sadhya

Ela Adai is a Kerala style healthy sweet recipe which is rice flour parcel with sweet fillings and steamed in banana leaf. This is cooked by covering the Adai in banana leaf which will enhance the aroma and flavour of the leaf.

Preparation time: 15mins

Cook time: 45mins

Total time: 1 hr

Serves: 6-8 depends on size

Cuisine: Kerala

Type: Sweet

Author:  Nivi Marshal

Ingredients:

For stuffing:

Coconut – ½ cup grated

Moong dal – ½ cup boiled and mashed

Jaggery – ½ cup grated or powdered

Water - ¼ cup

Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp

Ginger powder - ¼ tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

For covering:

Rice flour -½ cup

Hot Water - As required for dough

Salt - To taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

Banana leaf - 1

*1cup=185ml

*1 cup to 1 ½ cup of water for 1 cup of rice flour

Ela_Ada

How to prepare Ilai Adai:

• Wash and soak the moong dal for minimum 4hrs, cook the dal in pressure cooker with required water. Drain the excess water and keep aside for later use. Mash the dal.
• In a saucepan boil ¼ cup water and dissolve the jaggery in it. Strain the jaggery water and keep it aside.
• In a pan add ghee along with coconut, mashed moong dal and jaggery water. Stir it continuously till the jaggery water combine with coconut and starts to leave the pan. Now add the cardamom powder and ginger powder. Give a nice mix. Stuffing is ready now.
• In a pan dry roast the rice flour for 2-3mins. Now add rice flour, salt and oil to a mixing bowl. Now add boiling water to the rice flour and mix the dough well with a spatula. Let the dough reach the lukewarm temperature knead it to a soft dough with hands.
• Cut the leaf to square shape without middle vein or try to get tiffin leaf and heat the banana leaf in the flame on both sides to wilt so that it won't tear during parcel.
• Grease the leaf with oil or ghee. Touch the water or oil in hands and take a small portion of dough, spread it on the leaf neither thick nor thin, now arrange some stuffing in the centre of the dough. Fold the leaf into half and close the edges of the dough.
• Boil water in a steamer and steam the Adai for 10-15 mins. Now Elai Adai is ready to serve.

Tips:

• You can also use boiled and mashed Chana dal or jack fruit or coconut along for stuffing.
• You can boil and use the dal cooked water for mixing the rice flour.