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Steamed banana leaf Ada recipe/ Ela Ada recipe


A Brief History & Know-how

India has a long standing tradition of serving food in banana leaf. Especially in South India where eating in banana leaf is considered auspicious and authentic. There are lot of benefits associated with eating in banana leaf. 

In Kerala during birthdays and Onam we take care to eat in banana leaf as per tradition. But all traditions have their own science behind it. Only after looking on it did I realise that banana leaf comes with a lot of surprises.

Let me list it out for you. Banana leaves are anti-oxidant rich. It contains large amount of polyphenols (found in green tea) that are said to prevent many life style diseases and also has anti bacterial properties. So whatever food is served in banana leaf absorbs polyphenols which is good for health. Now you know eating in a banana leaf is way better than the normal utensils that we have at home.

Now after hearing all the benefits of banana lets look into a sweet dish recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. This recipe is called as Ela Ada/ Steamed Banana Leaf Appam. This is a simple recipe that can be made in just half an hour and the ingredients are readily available at any grocery store.

Ingredients for Ela Ada
  • Raw rice soaked overnight - 1 1/2 cup
  • Banana leaf cut in rectangular shape
  • Grated coconut - 1 cup
  • Grated jaggery - 3/4 cup
Preparation Method

Grind the raw rice in a mixer to paste. While grinding you can add a little water so that the proper consistency is reached. It should be liquid enough so that we can rub it evenly on a banana leaf but not that liquid so it flows outside the leaf. 

Now we can prepare stuffing in a bowl. For that take the grated coconut and grated jaggery and mix well. Keep it aside

 After grinding keep the paste aside and now warm the banana leaf directly on flame. You have to warm till the colour changes. This is done so that the leaf doesn't tear while folding. (You can see the process in the video given above.)  

After warming the leaf clean it using a cloth.

Steamed banana lea recipe or Ela Ada recipe. A tradition sweet dish from Kerala cooked in a steamer or Idli cooker. #sweetdish #desserts #sweetdishrecipe #123jaads



Now coat the inner side of the leaf  with a layer of oil. You can rub grated coconut or coconut oil to keep the flavour authentic. Do not use any other oil. It is done so that the Ada peels off easily after steaming.

Next step is to spread the grounded rice paste evenly as a very thin layer. You can dip your fingers in water and then spread the grounded paste in circular shape. Be careful that you spread it as thinly as possible. (Watch the video to see the process). 

After that spread the stuffing on one side of the rice paste. Then fold from the other end so as to close the banana leaf. Then fold the leaf as shown in video so that the ingredients inside doesn't spill out while cooking.

Now place the prepared adas in a steamer / a Idli cooker. Place midribs of the leaf in between two Adas  so that they don't stick together. Steam for 15-20 mins. After that take it out and let it cool for some time. 

The traditional Steamed Banana leaf appam / Ela Ada recipe is ready. You can eat it to your hearts fill. This is very easy to make and delicious to the last piece and eating once will only make you crave for more. Happy eating!!!!
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