Ela Ada / Pathali (with chana dal - jaggery - coconut filling)

Ela Ada / Pathali (with chana dal- coconut – jaggery filling)

A simple variety of Ela Ada / patholi is featured here. All one need is rice flour, boiled and mashed chana dal jaggery, grated coconut and a banana leaf. It makes a dish which is very delicious in taste.

Makes : 5 - 6

Serves : 3

Ingredients

Tip – Please use same measuring cup to measure rice flour and water.

1 cup ( 200 g / 8 oz ) raw rice flour - preferably fresh

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon ghee

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon extra oil

1 banana leaf ( washed and cleaned ) ( Cut banana leaves into 15 cm x 15 cm square pieces). One can make approximately 8 pieces from a banana leaf of normal size.

For the filling :

1 cup (100 g) chana dal (Bengal gram / kadala parippu / chone daali)

2 ½ cups of water

1/2 cup (50 g / 3 – 4 tablespoons) grated coconut

1 1/4 cups (or to taste or ¾ cup to 1 ¼ cup jaggery (melted and sieved or grated very pure jaggery / oraganic jaggery)

2 pinches of cardamom powder

Method

Wash chana dal and soak with 2 ½ cups water in pressure cooker for half an hour. Pressure cook for 20 minutes (Reduce the heat after 3 rd whistle and cook for 15 minutes on a low heat or until done and soft in consistency. Do not open the lid. Allow the cooker to cool naturally).

Mix boiled chana dal with grated coconut and jaggery. Do not sprinkle water. It should be a thick chana dal -coconut - jaggery mixture (you can also make a paste in a mixer if you required). Sprinkle cardamom powder and mix well.

For pathali / ada:

Method

Boil water in a thick bottomed vessel / saucepan. Add salt and ghee. When water (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups - not more than 1 3/4 cups) starts boiling add rice flour and mix well. Rice flour should be well mixed with water. Stir continuously. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to the rice dough and knead well. Divide into 5 - 6 lemon sized portions.

Clean banana leaf. Smoke this leaf on flame for a few seconds so that it becomes flexible and easy to fold.

Cut banana leaf into 7 - inch square pieces.

Take a piece of banana leaf. Keep a lemon sized rice dough portion over it. Keep another piece of banana leaf smeared with oil (with oiled portion facing down) the dough. Press evenly to form a thin circle of rice dough of approximately 10 - 12 cm diameter. Carefully remove the leaf on top. Now one will see a thin circle of rice dough.

Keep 1 tablepsoon coconut - jaggery mixture in it length wise along its centre. Fold into semi circle and seal the edges tightly - such that the outer covering is the banana leaf which was placed initially.

Repeat this process for the remaining dough / filling.

Arrange these raw Ela ads / Pathali in a flat steel bowl and steam in a pressure cooker ( without weight) for 15 - 20 minutes on a low to medium heat or till done. One can notice a color change in banana leaf.

Serve hot. Once the banana leaf is peeled, one will get a nice aroma of melted jaggery.