Photo: Sugeesh at ml.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kerala · Breakfast

Ottada

A large, thin rice flour crepe cooked inside a folded banana leaf on a hot griddle — a Malabar Muslim breakfast speciality from northern Kerala. The banana leaf imparts a distinctive flavour and creates a slightly moist texture different from pan-cooked flatbreads. Served with coconut chutney or sweet coconut milk.

🧺 Ingredients

• 2 cups (240 g) rice flour (fine-ground)
• 1.75 cups (420 ml) water (warm)
• 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated coconut
• 1 tsp (5 g) sugar
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
• 8 banana leaf pieces (30x25 cm), softened over flame
• Batter must be thin enough to spread to a uniform 2 mm layer.

👩‍🍳 How to make Ottada

1. Grind rice flour, coconut, sugar, and salt with warm water to a smooth, thin batter.
2. Rest 10 minutes.
3. Hold each piece briefly over a gas flame until it darkens and becomes pliable (5–10 seconds per piece).
4. Do not burn.
5. Place banana leaf dull side up.
6. Pour 4 tbsp batter in centre.
7. Spread into a thin circle using the back of a spoon (about 15 cm, 2 mm thick).
8. Fold banana leaf in half over batter, enclosing completely.
9. Place folded parcels on a preheated flat tawa over medium heat.
10. Cook for 3–4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a flat spatula.
11. Open to check — crepe should be cooked through with faint leaf markings.
12. Serve folded in the leaf.

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