I know I'm way late once again in making a post. I'm leaving for India this weekend and when is a better time to shop than now. Have shopped till I dropped :).Busy with all the packing and the excitement is driving me crazy. Will be visiting my sister, in Dubai, for 2 weeks and then, off I fly to India where family, weddings and good weather wait for me. Glad to leave winter behind. Looking forward to mom's food and loads of fun.
I'll be gone for a good 3 months, but, I think, I will pop-in here, once in a while to make new posts.
Before I bid adieu , I thought I'll post one more recipe. Mouth-watering Ela ada. It's a very popular snack from Kerala. Can be served for breakfast too.
I had searched the whole of Saint Louis for banana leaves and finally found some frozen banana leaves at an asian food market. I was so excited because I have been longing to make ela adas.
For those of you who can't find banana leaves, you can substitute it with parchment paper.
Ciao!
Ingredients: (Makes 5 adas)
- Rice flour - 1-1/2 cups
- Hot water - 1-1/2 cups
- Salt - to taste
- Banana leaves or parchment paper.
Ingredients for for filling:- Grated coconut - 1-1/2 cups
- Jaggery - 1/2 cup ( or according to taste)
- Cardamom powder - 1/4 tspn
Clean banana leaves with a wet cloth. Then place them over low heat for about 10-20 secs to season the leaf. Set aside( If using parchment paper avoid this step)
Directions for making the rice dough:
- In a pan slightly roast rice flour.
- Then add hot water with salt and stir well.
- Take off heat. Cover and set aside to cool a while.
- When slightly cool, knead it to make a soft dough. Cover and let it rest.
- In a skillet, over medium heat, melt the jaggery with a tablespoon of water.
- Strain this melted jaggery and get rid of the dirt left at the bottom.
- Return the strained jaggery to the pan and add the grated coconut. Cook for 5- 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts to thicken, remove from heat and cool till it reaches room temperature.
Directions to make Ela Ada:- Cut the banana leaves or parchment paper into small, 20 cm squares.
- Divide the rice dough into 5 equal parts
- Spread one ball of rice dough evenly on the banana leaves/parchment paper; use your hands to spread the rice dough as thin as possible leaving a 1 cm margin on all sides. ( See pic)
- Place filling on one side of the spread dough. (see pic)
Fold the leaf/parchment paper in the middle and press the sides to seal the ada well.- Take an idly steamer and add water to it and place on medium heat.
- Place the leaves / parchment paper flat on the idly mould trays and steam in the idly steamer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Once the adas are steamed and cooked, peel of the leaf/parchemnt paper and serve with some hot tea or coffee. Ela ada can be served hot or at room temperatureEnjoy!!!!!!!!
Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha