Ada Pradhaman recipe

"Pradhaman" in Malayalam means number one ,and it is so for a good reason ! unlike its counterpart 'payasm' or 'kheer' ada pradhaman is made elaborately using a variety of ingredients on the occasion of OnaSadya ,which is a banquet arranged for the celebration of onam festival in kerela.
  The recipe itself can be divided into two parts ,first being the preparation of ada and second -preparation of pradhaman .There are ready-made ada available in the market but you can sure tell the difference when its homemade .

For Ada:
rice-1/2 cup
banana leafs - cut into small portions
water

preparation of Ada :
(makes apprx 1 cup )

• Soak rice for about 4 hrs 
• make into a thick paste using very little water at a time 
• clean and pat dry the leaves and spread the  batter on top like a dosa,leaving enough space on the corners 
• Roll up carefully and tie with a string 
• steam cook for about 10-15 minutes 
• remove from the streamer using tongs and let cool
• Once cool open up the leaves and sprinkle with a little water to make the ada stop sticking 
• using a sharp knife start making horizontal and vertical lines on the sheet and remove carefully
• This is our base for the pradhaman lets proceed with the recipe

Notes: The ada will be sticky due to starch content,dip your fingers in oil before handling the sheet to make it easy to work with

For pradhaman :

(makes 2 medium servings)

1 cup ada
1/2 cup crushed jaggery(or adjust to your taste)
1 cup thick coconut milk
seeds of 3 cardamom-crushed
nuts and dry fruits of your choice

• Bring the jaggery to a boil along with 1/4 cup of water.filter if you feel there are impurities .
• add 1 cup ada and boil for 5 minutes 
• add the coconut milk simmer for 5 minutes 
• finally add the crushed cardamom and turn of the heat
• top with your favorite nuts and dry fruits toasted in ghee  .

Notes: the traditional recipe calls only for coconut milk but one can use part milk and part coconut milk or any proportion to their liking and taste . 

Here is a quick video tutorial:

Thank you for visiting greenhouse cuisine .

Wishing everybody a happy 2012!