Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kerala · Breakfast

Ada

Traditional 61. Ada recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 200g rice flour (roasted, fine-ground)
• 180ml boiling water (plus more as needed)
• 1 tsp coconut oil (for dough)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 150g fresh grated coconut
• 100g jaggery (grated or broken into small pieces)
• 3 green cardamom pods (seeds crushed)
• 4 banana leaves (cut into 20cm x 25cm pieces, wilted briefly over flame)

👩‍🍳 How to make Ada

1. Make filling (8 mins, medium heat): Melt jaggery in a dry pan with 2 tbsp water, stirring until it dissolves and thickens slightly, about 3 mins. Add grated coconut and crushed cardamom, stir on low heat for 4-5 mins until the mixture is dry and fragrant — it should leave the sides of the pan cleanly. Remove and cool.
2. Prepare dough (5 mins): Combine roasted rice flour and salt in a bowl. Pour boiling water gradually while stirring with a wooden spatula, adding just enough to bring the flour together. Rub in 1 tsp coconut oil. Knead while warm with lightly oiled palms until the dough is smooth, pliable, and slightly tacky — about 3-4 mins. Cover with a damp cloth.
3. Shape and fill (5 mins): Wilt banana leaf pieces briefly over a medium flame until they turn bright green and flexible. Take a walnut-sized ball of dough and press it flat on the banana leaf using oiled fingers to a 2-3mm thick oval roughly 12cm wide. Place 1 heaped tbsp of coconut-jaggery filling in the centre. Fold the banana leaf so the rice layer closes over the filling — press edges gently to seal.
4. Steam (10-12 mins, high heat): Arrange filled leaf parcels in a steamer basket in a single layer. Steam for 10-12 mins until the outer rice layer is firm and translucent-looking, not sticky to touch. Remove and serve warm in the leaf — peel open just before eating.

Track the macros of Ada and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.