Ada Pradhaman Recipe
Ada Pradhaman or Ada Payasam is a traditional Kerala sweet dessert made with rice ada, jaggery, coconut milk and spices. Ada are small rice pasta pieces that are cooked until tender before being simmered in strained jaggery syrup. Thick coconut milk is added towards the end, followed by cardamom, cumin and dry ginger. The pradhaman is then finished with cashews and raisins fried in ghee.
Servings: 4
Calories: 467kcal
Ingredients
For Cooking Ada
- ½ cup/100 grams ada – store-bought
- 3 cups water
For Jaggery Syrup
- 1 cup/150 to 160 grams jaggery – chopped or grated
- ⅓ cup thin coconut milk or water
More Ingredients
- 1 cup/240 ml thick coconut milk or canned coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon dry ginger powder
- 12 to 15 cashews
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
Instructions
Cooking Ada
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in a pan. Add the rice ada pieces and cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the ada pieces are completely tender.
- Stir at intervals so that the ada does not stick to the pan or form clumps.
- Drain the cooked ada in a colander. Rinse thoroughly under running water to remove the excess starch, then set aside to drain.
Making Jaggery Syrup
- Combine the jaggery with thin coconut milk or water in another pan.
- Heat on low and stir until the jaggery dissolves completely. The syrup does not need to reach a string consistency.
- Strain the syrup through a fine strainer to remove impurities. Pour it into a clean, heavy-bottomed pan.
Making Ada Pradhaman
- Add the cooked ada to the strained jaggery syrup and mix well.
- Simmer on low to medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 7 to 8 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly.
- Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and add the thick coconut milk.
- Mix and heat gently for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the pradhaman becomes hot. Do not boil after adding the thick coconut milk.
- Add the cardamom powder, cumin powder and dry ginger powder. Mix well.
- Switch off the heat and keep the pan covered.
Frying Cashews & Raisins
- Heat the ghee or coconut oil in a small pan. Fry the cashews on low or medium-low heat until light golden.
- Add the raisins and fry until they become plump.
- Pour the fried cashews, raisins and remaining ghee into the pradhaman. Mix well and rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve Ada Pradhaman hot, warm or chilled.
- Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container and use within 1 to 2 days.
Notes
- Cook the rice ada until completely tender and rinse it well to remove excess starch.
- Strain the dissolved jaggery to remove any impurities.
- Stir the ada and jaggery mixture often so that it does not stick or burn.
- Never boil the pradhaman after adding thick coconut milk.
- The pradhaman thickens after cooling. Add a little coconut milk if you need to adjust the consistency.
- Use coconut oil instead of ghee for a vegan version.
Nutrition
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 0.04mg | Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.01mg | Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 1mg | Vitamin B6: 0.1mg | Vitamin C: 2mg | Vitamin E: 0.1mg | Vitamin K: 2µg | Calcium: 38mg | Vitamin B9 (Folate): 11µg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 40mg | Phosphorus: 92mg | Zinc: 1mg
