01
Elai Adai
Sweets
Elai - leaf Adai - a steamed rice-flour cake or dumpling, wrapped in banana leaf with coconut filling.
Rice batter wrapped in banana leaf around coconut and jaggery, then steamed — a festival treat.
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AMMAMMA'S NOTES.
Banana leaf
as needed
Coconut (grated)
1 cup
Jaggery
3/4 cup
Ghee
2 spoon
Cardamom powder
1/4 spoon
Jackfruit (or soaked avil, alternate filling)
1/4 cup
Raw rice
3/4 cup
Boiled rice
1/4 cup
Salt
a pinch
01
In a pan, add 1/4 cup water; when it starts to boil, add ghee and jaggery. Let it boil for a few seconds.
02
Add the coconut and stir well; let the coconut and jaggery become thick.
03
Add the cut jackfruit pieces and stir for some time; lastly add cardamom powder and remove from the stove. (Or use soaked avil instead of jackfruit.)
04
Wash and soak the rice for 4 hours, then grind in a mixie to a fine paste; add a little salt and ghee.
05
The batter should not be too watery or too thick - dosa batter consistency is ideal.
06
Take a piece of banana leaf, spread a little ghee, then spread the rice batter evenly.
07
On half the batter, add the coconut filling and close the banana leaf gently.
08
Arrange all the folded banana leaves in an idli vessel and steam-cook in a cooker for 20 minutes.
09
Before eating, remove the banana leaf.
Nolambu Sweet Adai
Roasted rice flour cooked with jaggery, karamani, elaichi and ghee, shaped into small adais and steamed.
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Paal Adai Paysam
Pal Adai Payasam - a Tamil rice-dumpling pudding in milk.
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A LABOUR OF LOVE — THIS RECIPE MADE SURE EVERYONE WAS ASSIGNED A TASK. THATHA WOULD GO GET THE LEAVES WHILE SHE MADE THE POORNAM (STUFFING), AND I'D BE CALLED IN ONCE EVERYTHING WAS LAID OUT AND ONLY THE ASSEMBLING WAS LEFT. I NEVER TOLD HER, BUT THERE WERE PLENTY OF TIMES I'D JUST EAT EVERY PART OF IT RAW BEFORE WE COOKED IT.
YAMINI VENKATESAN
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH, 2026