Kerala during Onam is a feast for the senses.
The myth goes something like this – the magnanimous king Mahabali, on being evicted from his cherished realm by Vamana, the dwarf avtar of Lord Vishnu, extracted a boon from the Lord that allowed him to return to his kingdom once a year.
And to celebrate his home-coming, Gods Own Country erupts in a mad frenzy of unadulterated joy and festivities. Men and women from all walks of life forget the divisive barriers of caste, creed and religion, to celebrate Onam.
And what a joy it is to behold the festivities – Ladies in gorgeous white and gold Kasavus, flaunting heirloom jewellery proudly handed down generations, their oiled tresses draped in strands of fragrant jasmine; men sporting luxuriant moustaches in their immaculate white mundus and spotless white shirts; the hysteric delirium and soul-stirring adrenalin rush around snake boat races along palm-fringed green-black canals; the intricately designed pookalams in an explosion of hues – yellow and orange marigolds, red and yellow roses, white pearls of jasmine, the odd pink lotus, to name a few; the subtle expression of Kathakali recitals, the ecstasy and trance of the Theyyam to the feverish rhythms of the chenda, the animated effervescence of the Pulikali and the finger-licking delicious Onam Sadhya, a feast befitting royals – This is life at its pristine and joyous best !!
And this year I cook a delectable Ada Pradhaman to welcome the mighty King Mahabali.
Well, I haven’t yet garnered the expertise of making fresh Ada from scratch (and do I need to add – it’s an art ?) – spreading a thin layer of rice batter over banana leaves, carefully rolling the leaves, gently tying them with a twine and finally letting them simmer patiently for 7-10 minutes in boiling water. Before unrolling the leaves and cutting the still warm rice sheets into Ada flakes.
No, that’s a skill that I shall need a lot more of practice to master.
So for now, it’s store-bought Ada flakes that I have to remain contented with.
But don’t worry, the Ada Pradhaman did delight just as much (so commented my friends and family) !!
Ada Pradhaman. Rice flakes cooked patiently in luscious coconut milk over a fatigued flame. Sweetened with jaggery. Made more sinful with a generous throw of fried cashews and raisins. And just a touch of cardamom. Enjoy !!
Ada Pradhaman
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup ada rice
- 400 ml thick coconut milk
- 1/4 cup coconut bits chopped
- 3/4 cup jaggery grated
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 10-12 cashew nuts
- 8-10 raisins
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
Instructions
- Soak the Ada rice in warm water for 15-20 minutes.
- Wash the rice, boil in 3 cups of water. Till the rice is about 70% cooked . Drain the rice from water, smear a little ghee. Keep aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan, fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Keep aside.
- In the same ghee, fry the chopped coconut bits till they turn a light brown. Keep aside.
- Take the jaggery in a deep bottomed pan, add 3/4 cup of water, simmer for 5-7 minutes. Keep aside.
- Pour the coconut milk into another pan. Add the partially cooked Ada rice, 1/3 cup of warm water and the remaining ghee, continue to cook over a medium flame till the rice is soft enough to be mashed with your fingers.
- Lower the flame, gently pour in the jaggery syrup. Add a generous sprinkle of cardamom powder, simmer till the payasam starts to thicken a bit.
- Switch off the flame, add the fried cashew nuts, raisins and coconut chips.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
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