ELA ADA | ILA ADA.... TRADITIONAL SOUTH INDIAN SWEETS

ELA ADA|ILA ADA.. Traditional south Indian sweet recipes.

* HEALTHY AND YUMMY SWEETS

* TEA TIME SNACK

* STEAMED RICE SWEETS.

* SWEET STUFFED RICE WRAP

 ELA ADA | ILA ADA is a traditional south Indian sweet recipes made from rice flour, coconut and jaggery. It's one of the sweet recipe that every one loves. ELA ADA / Ila Ada is a very popular and favourite sweet dish in South India especially in Kerala. This recepi is very popular and interestly made by keralites where ever  in the world they live.

ELA ADA | ILA ADA is one of the best traditional snack/ breakfast recipes  in Kerala. This recepi is like a parcel. That is the ingredients are wrapped and cooked in banana leaves. The recipe is made from rice flour that stuffed with sweet mixture of coconut and jaggery mix. This was then Steamed  in banana leaves. It's a delicious sweet blend that will make every one mouthwatering.

We know that the word Ela | Ila is a Malayalam word which means banana leaves. The recepi is made by using banana leaves.  The distinct smell of rice flour dough stuffed with sweet blend of coconut jaggery mix cooked/steamed in banana leaves makes you hunger and mouthwatering. The sweet coconut jaggery mix was stuffed into rice flour dough and wrapped in banana leaves gives a special aroma. So the flavour of banana leaves and aroma penetrated into other ingredients. So banana leaves are essential in this recepi.

We already that recent trends of healthy eating habits among keralites have resulted in traditional ways of cooking and serving practices. Among them most popular and outstanding ways of cooking is food served or wrapped in banana leaves. Banana leaves have been traditionally used since ancient times for wrapping food especially meat, fish rice etc. We are familiar with pothichoru, fish poliichathu, kizhi parotta etc. These are some recipes cooked in banana leaves. I already posted these above recipe earlier. You can read and try it. In fact, Ela Ada /  Ila Ada is not a modern recipes. It is a traditional sweet dish that have been used since ancient times onwards. But it didn't lost its popularity. The recepi is hereditarily transfer into modern generation. Now still people always loved this sweet dish.

During my childhood days, I have remembered that my grandmother usually makes Ela Ada / Ila Ada as a tea time snack.  In her recipe, the fillings are sometimes coconut mixed with jaggery or sometimes it might be coconut mixed with sugar. My grandmother serves these Ela Ada / Ila Ada with a cup of hot tea. It was so sweety and yummy taste. I can't forget my childhood days. During my school days, after I came back home, I remembered a scene of having Ela Ada with a cup of tea. 

Let's follow my simple recipe of ELA ADA | ILA ADA recipes. Try your best and enjoy your evening with these traditional snacks.

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         Course : Snack 

         Cuisine : South Indian

         Cook time : 30 minutes

          Servings : 6

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INGREDIENTS

For making rice dough

Rice flour : 1 cup

Water : as needed

Salt : to taste

For making sweet fillings ( for stuffing)

Grated coconut : 1 cup

Jaggery: 1 cup

Water : 1 cup

Cow Ghee : 3 tbsp

Cashews : 7 ( finely chopped)

Raisins : 8

Cardomom powder : 1/4 tsp

For wrapping 

Banana leaves

HOW TO MAKE SWEET FILLINGS:

∆ Take a saucepan, add jaggery into the pan. Then add 1 cup of water and melt it. Once it melts switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Then strain it through a metal strainer to remove any dirt.

∆ Take a nonstick pan, heat 3 tbsp cow ghee.  Add  Cashews and raisins. Then roast them until it turns light golden colour. 

∆ Then add  grated coconut. Roast well until  it turns light golden colour and a good aroma comes.

∆ Pour the strained jaggery syrup into it.  Mix well and cook them until it gets thicken. 

∆ Add 1/4 tsp of cardomom powder and mix well. Stir well until it turns sticky and aromatic. Once the fillings gets thicken, switch off the flame and keep aside.

 

HOW TO MAKE RICE DOUGH.

  ∆ Take a mixing bowl, add 1 cup rice flour and enough salt. Add water little by little and knead the mixture to form a smooth and soft dough. The dough consistency is like that of idiyappam dough.

ASSEMBLING AND STUFFING:

∆ Take a big banana leaves, cut them into several parts. 

∆  Take a piece of banana leaves. Apply ghee and grease the leaf.

∆  Take the rice flour dough, divide the dough into a ball / orange 🍊 sized equal  ball.

∆ Take one ball/orange 🍊 sized ball and then flatten them into the greased banana leaves.

∆ Place 1 tbsp of sweet fillings on one side and fold the other half over it. Then lightly press over it.

∆  Repeat the same process until your dough finished.

∆ place this in a steamer. Steam this until it gets cooked. The maximum time taken to cook is 15 minutes.

The tasty and aromatic traditional ELA ADA | ILA ADA is ready to serve. You can serve them with hot tea. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

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∆ If there is no jaggery in your home, you can make the fillings with sugar. You can add enough sugar instead of jaggery.

∆ Banana leaves is essential for this recipe. We gets special aroma and taste if it's steamed and cooked in banana leaves. 

∆ Make sure that the rice flour dough is soft and smooth. Don't make it too hard.

∆ You can divide the dough into a medium sized orange🍊 size.

∆ If you find it difficult to spread and flatten the dough, you can lightly dip your fingers in water or grease your fingers in oil. Then continue..

∆ Grease the banana leaves well before putting the dough.

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OTHER BANANA WRAP RECIPES:

 ∆ FISH MASALA WRAP/FISH POLLICHATHU,

 

∆ FISH NIRVANA:,

∆ PAROTTA BEEF WRAP / KIZHI PAROTTA

ENJOY......