PAL ADA PRADHAMAN

PAL ADA PRADHAMAN
Ingredients:
Rice Flour -1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Sugar - 1 tbsp.
Soft jaggery grated or crushed – 1 cup
Fresh coconut grated without brown skin -4 cups
(for coconut milk as per note)
Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Banana leaf squares (approximately 6-7 inches)
Method:
Make a thick batter of Rice flour, water and 1/2 tbsp. melted ghee.
Batter should coat back of spoon when poured.
Warm leaf a bit over fire; spread a ladleful batter over it.Leave a side margin to avoid over running.
Roll and secure with twine, if required.
Place rolls in a perforated compartment of a steamer.Pour water to boil in the lower compartment, fix shut.
Put on fire; allow to cook for 10-12 minutes.
Remove from fire, cool and untie.
Peel and cut into small pieces. Your Ada is ready
Dissolve 1/2 cup water and jaggery, strain into deep vessel.
Boil mixture to one thread consistency.
Add pieces of the Ada and the first milk of the coconut milk.Cook and simmer till reduced to 3/4 in volume.
Add the second milk of the coconut milk, stir.
Add sugar, stir to dissolve, and allow to boil.
Simmer and cook, stirring frequently till thickened.
Dissolve cumin, cardamom, ginger powders in 1/2 cup thin milk.
Add to mixture, allow to simmer, till thickened.
If too thick, one may add some thin milk, and bring to a boil.
Check sweetness, every time the coconut milk is added, and adjust sugar if required.
Serve hot.
Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 10-12 servings
Shelflife: 1 day

Notes:
1. Rice flour: To make excellent pradhaman, wash, soak rice for 10 minutes, drain, and spread over a clean cloth to dry for 1 hour. Grind to a fine powder in a mill or grinder, sieve and use for the Ada's to be put in your pradhaman.
2. Coconut milk: Of different grades.
Soak 4 cups scrapped coconut (do not use the brown skin), in 2 cups boiling hot water, keep aside, covered, for 2-3 hours.
Strain, but save water. Grind coconut to a very fine paste, add back drained water and blend again till a milky texture is got. Drain and keep this milk aside. This is the rich coconut milk or 1st milk.
Grind the residual coconut again with 3 cups warm water, drain, and keep milk aside. This is the medium or coconut milk or 2nd milk.
Add 2 cups warm water to the residual coconut, grind again and strain milk. Now the residue does not have much strength. This extract is the thin coconut milk or 3rd milk.
The above procedure will produce a total of approximately 7 cups of coconut milk, of three different grades. If differently graded milk is not asked for in recipe, one may combine all the three extracts and get just one medium consistency coconut milk.
Refrigerated it will last for 2 days, or freeze into cubes and store in freezer bags, using as required.
This is the traditional method of making the Pal Ada Pradhaman.

Tip : Nowadays, we get the Ada(Rice flour strips) and Coconut milk in the market, which makes the work easier and faster. In,case you are using coconut milk from a Tetrapak then there is no first, second and third milk, but if you want to make the Pradhaman thin, take some coconut milk in a cup and pour some hot water and make it thin to add in the end, this, has to be done if the Pradhaman becomes too thick.

Hope you enjoy this sweet dish.