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

Kerala · Breakfast

Onam Breakfast

A miniature version of the Onam sadhya's star dessert — ada pradhaman — served as a breakfast treat on Onam morning (August/September). Thin ada pieces (rice flour parcels broken into bits) are cooked in dark, rich jaggery-coconut milk payasam, fragrant with cardamom and finished with fried coconut pieces and raisins. This compact version is eaten before the full sadya begins.

🧺 Ingredients

• 150 g dry ada (store-bought Kerala-style rice ada), or make fresh thin ada from Recipe 15 and break into 2 cm pieces
• 200 g dark jaggery (karipetti — dark Kerala jaggery), grated
• 1.5 cups (360 ml) thin coconut milk
• 1 cup (240 ml) thick coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) dry ginger powder (chukku)
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) ghee
• 2 tbsp (20 g) cashew pieces
• 2 tbsp (20 g) raisins
• 2 tbsp (20 g) coconut pieces (thinly sliced fresh coconut)

👩‍🍳 How to make Onam Breakfast

1. Cook dry ada in 3 cups boiling water for 8–10 minutes until soft and pliable.
2. Drain, rinse in cold water.
3. Set aside.
4. Dissolve jaggery in 1/2 cup water over medium heat.
5. Strain to remove impurities.
6. The syrup should be deeply dark.
7. Add cooked ada to jaggery syrup.
8. Stir over medium heat 2 minutes.
9. Add thin coconut milk.
10. Cook over medium-low heat 8–10 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and ada softens further.
11. Reduce heat to low.
12. Add thick coconut milk.
13. Stir gently 2 minutes — do not boil.
14. Add cardamom and dry ginger.
15. Fry cashews, raisins, and coconut pieces in 3 tbsp ghee until golden; pour over pradhaman.

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