Chakka Ada

Name: Chakka Ada
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Kerala)
Ingredients: Rice flour: 250 g; Boiling water: 230 ml; Salt: ¼ tsp; Ripe jackfruit pulp: 150 g (deseeded, mashed); Grated coconut: 100 g; Jaggery: 100 g; Cardamom: 4 pods (crushed); Banana leaves: 10 pieces; Use only fully ripe jackfruit — immature fruit is astringent and flavourless when steamed; The jackfruit filling is wetter than plain coconut filling — ensure the rice shell is well sealed; Chakka Ada is most aromatic fresh from the steamer; serve within 10 minutes of steaming; Jackfruit season (April–June) is the only time this can be made authentically

🍗 Non-veg📊 Medium

A banana-leaf parcel of rice dough filled with ripe jackfruit pulp mixed with coconut and jaggery — an intensely tropical, fragrant steamed sweet that combines three of Kerala's signature ingredients.

⏱️30 minPrep

🔥20 minCook

🕒50 minTotal

🍽️10Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Chakka Ada

Cook mashed jackfruit, grated coconut, and 100 g jaggery over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring, until thickened.
Add cardamom.
Cool.
Combine rice flour and salt.
Add boiling water gradually.
Mix to a smooth dough.
Cover 5 minutes.
Pass over flame until pliable.
Press 35 g dough into thin ovals on each banana leaf.
Add 2 tbsp jackfruit filling in centre.
Fold leaf to enclose completely.
Steam over high heat for 15 minutes until dough is cooked and translucent.
Serve hot.

📖 Cultural notes

Chakka Ada is a seasonal preparation that coincides with jackfruit harvest and Vishu (Kerala's New Year, April). Many Kerala households have a jackfruit tree in the compound, and making Chakka Ada from the season's first ripe jackfruit is a celebratory ritual. The aroma of steaming banana leaf filled with jackfruit and coconut is considered the smell of a Kerala summer. ---

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