Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kerala · Dessert

Elayappam

Soft rice flour rounds filled with sweetened coconut and jaggery, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed — Kerala's elegant variation on the ada theme, thinner and more refined with a silkier texture.

🧺 Ingredients

• Rice flour: 250 g
• Boiling water: 230 ml
• Grated coconut: 2 tbsp (for dough)
• Salt: ¼ tsp
• Grated coconut: 180 g
• Jaggery: 130 g
• Cardamom: 3 pods (crushed)
• Banana leaves: 10 pieces

👩‍🍳 How to make Elayappam

1. Cook 180 g coconut with 130 g jaggery over medium heat for 5 minutes until combined and slightly sticky.
2. Add cardamom.
3. Cool.
4. Mix rice flour, 2 tbsp coconut, and salt.
5. Add boiling water gradually while mixing to a smooth, pliable dough.
6. Cover with a damp cloth for 5 minutes.
7. Pass over flame until pliable.
8. Wipe clean.
9. Take 35 g dough.
10. Place on banana leaf.
11. Wet hands and press to a thin circle (4 mm).
12. Place 1.5 tbsp filling in the centre-left half.
13. Fold leaf to bring the unfilled half over the filled half — creating a half-moon shape.
14. Press edges gently.
15. Steam over high heat for 12–15 minutes.
16. Serve hot, unwrapped at the table.

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