Best Ada Prathaman Recipe – Made with Homemade Ada and Fresh Extracted Coconut Milk

post modified on August 16


Written by Puja

Ada Prathaman is a jaggery-and-coconut-milk-based dessert. It tastes heavenly and delicious and is made at the Onam festival. (Step by Step photos with detailed instructions).

Ada Prathaman

About Ada Pradhaman Recipe:

Next week is Onam, and what better time to share my first payasam recipe?

Payasam is associated with celebration and ritual. It is offered as the dessert of happiness at all festivals in Kerala, such as Onam and Vishu, as well as at weddings and birthdays.

Payasam is a dessert meal in Sadya and a prasadam at temples.

Payasam, also known as Kheer, is a word used to describe real, syrupy, milk-based Indian delicacies.

Every Indian state has its own variation of this delicacy, which differs according to the spices used, the type of milk used, the cooking method being used, and the main ingredient such as ada, vermicelli, lentils, fruits, and so on. Vermicelli, also known as semiya payasam, is a popular dish in India.

Ada Pradhaman is the king of Kerala’s desserts. The combination of smooth homemade rice powder ada, dry fruits, crunchiness of coconut bits, and rich ghee, all soaked in pure coconut milk, is difficult to resist.

The use of three different types of coconut milk with differing thicknesses is the star of this recipe and key to its perfection. The cooking process is time-consuming, but it is worth the effort.

Ada Pradaman, is a delectable dessert from God’s Own Country and is a staple of the Sadya, a traditional vegetarian meal.

Today I made this Ada pradaman with homemade rice flakes and freshly extracted coconut milk. Ada made from scratch gives an original and authentic taste to this recipe.

The chewy “Homemade Ada” in each spoon gives a unique flavor when you spoon in the delightfully sweet semi-liquid. This dessert can be served either warm or cold.

Ada payasam is often served along with papadam and a small banana. And I just love the combination of these three. The fruity and savory flavors of banana and papadam pair nicely with this creamy dessert.

And the correct way to eat this payasam is – Pour some ada pradhaman onto a banana leaf and then crush a pappadam over it, then smash a banana with your palm and add it to the payasam. Mix everything well with your hand and eat it.

Traditionally, freshly squeezed coconut milk is used to make ada pradhaman and it tastes much better, but to ease the cooking process you can use store-bought coconut milk or coconut milk powder and adjust its thickness with water.

ada pradhaman

Why you should make this recipe?

During the Onam festival, Ada Prathaman is very important. Ada pradhaman is a must-have dish for the Onam Sadhya (feast) menu. Apart from that, there are other reasons why you should prepare ada payasam like…

  • Rich and delicious
  • Nutritious
  • Gluten free

Pro Tips to make Ada Pradhaman:

I know that making Ada Prathaman Recipe from scratch is really a difficult task.

But if you follow a few of the below-mentioned tips, I am sure you would want to make Ada Prathaman from scratch every year.

  • Grate Coconut a day ahead before Onam and store in refrigerator in an airtight container
  • If you want you can also extract milk of grated coconut a day ahead and store in refrigerator.
  • Make Ada a day before and use next day
  • Melt the jaggery and remove the impurities by straining, and store in clean container.
  • Roast dry fruits and keep them in a box
ada pradaman

Looking for some more dessert recipes?

Sweet Pongal Recipe – How to make sakkarai pongal

Rice Kheer Recipe – How to Make Chawal ki Kheer in Pressure Cooker

Chocolate Rice Kheer Recipe

Ada pradhaman

Basics Ingredients used to make Ada Pradaman

To Make Ada: Ada is the key ingredient in this recipe. Use either fresh or store-bought ada. If you are making homemade Ada, you would need rice powder, ghee, sugar, and water to make homemade Ada.

Prefer using good-quality rice powder. Fresh-made Ada has a melt-in-the-mouth quality which is rarely found in the packaged versions. To be honest, though packaged ada makes life easier, with a little planning, it can be made at home very easily.

Jaggery: In order to achieve that lovely chocolatey color, make sure you get dark-colored jaggery. But then if you don’t get it, you can use any kind of jaggery.

Coconut Milk: Here I have used freshly extracted coconut milk. And I have used 1st and 2nd extracted milk.

First, you have to use thin milk, and to finish the dish, the thick or first extraction of milk is used.  If using the canned version,  remove half the settled cream and mix in the rest. This basically means that you will be using the first half of the separated milk first instead of the first extracted freshly grated coconut milk and the remaining mixture in part for the second extract.

Other Ingredients: We would also be needing cashew nuts, raisins, coconut bits, and cardamom.

Ada Prathaman

Ada Prathaman Recipe

Ada Prathaman is a jaggery-and-coconut-milk-based dessert. It tastes earthy and delicious and is made at the Onam festival.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: ada prathaman
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 15 people
Calories: 602kcal
Author: Puja

Ingredients

For Ada

  • 1 1/2 cup Rice Flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp Ghee
  • 2 cups Water or as needed

For Payasam

  • 4-5 cups Jaggery grated
  • 2 tbsp Ghee
  • 1/3 cup Cashew
  • 1/3 cup Raisins
  • 1/2 cup Coconut Bits
  • 5 cup Thick Milk
  • 3 1/2 cup Thin Milk
  • 10-12 Cardamom

Instructions

Method to make Ada

  • Mix rice flour, sugar and ghee. Mix well so that the ghee is absorbed into the rice flour and no bits remain.
    ada
  • Add water and stir well to form a lump free thin batter .
  • Bring water to boil in a covered steamer pan.
  • Grease the steamer rack with little ghee. Pour a few tbsp of batter on it. Swirl to coat evenly to form a thin layer.
  • Steam for about 2 to 5 minutes till set.When set the mix will begin to pull away from the sides.
  • Remove from the steamer and transfer to a cutting board and cut into bits.
    ada3
  • Repeat the process with remaining batter.

Method of making Payasam

  • Heat jaggery by adding water until jaggery gets completely dissolved.
    ada4
  • Strain over a metal strainer. Set aside.
  • Heat a heavy bottomed pan with ghee. Roast cashews until pale pink in medium flame and take it out in a plate.
  • Now add raisin, roast until it bloats.
  • Once done drain from ghee and keep aside.
  • In the same ghee, roast chopped coconut bits until golden and crisp.
  • Drain from ghee, set aside.
  • Now add cooked rice ada to the ghee and give it a quick stir.
    ada6
  • Pour the jaggery syrup. Boil for 2-3 mins.
  • Lower the flame and slowly add 2nd extract coconut milk. Continue stirring and cook until it is reduced and thickened.
  • Add the thick coconut milk, stir well and cook till right before it reaches boil, then switch of the flame. Ensure not to allow the dish to boil at this stage, so keep your flame at low.
  • Add the cardamom powder, and give the dish a final stir.
  • Finally add roasted cashew, raisins, coconut and serve.
    ada8
  • If the payasam turns out to be thick, you can add boiled and cooled cow’s milk to thin it out.
  • So Ada Prathaman is ready to be served.

Notes

Do not keep the dessert on high heat after adding the coconut milk or else it will split.
You may vary the quantity of ghee used in this recipe as per your taste.
Cook the ada well, otherwise, if you cook along with jaggery syrup, it will become chewier.
You can adjust the quantity of jaggery used in this recipe as per your taste.
The consistency of the payasam while switching off should be semi-thick as it thickens with time later, you can add a little cooled cow’s milk to make it a little thin while serving if you feel the payasam is too thick.
The color of the prathaman light brown or dark brown mainly depends on the jaggery variety.
If you are lucky to have banana leaves handy, you can use that to make ada.
You can use the convenient steamer set up available in your kitchen to make ada. All you have to take care of is that the batter should be in a thin layer.
If you are using canned coconut milk, remove half of the cream and mix the rest. Use as 1st and 3rd extraction. Skip the second step.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Ada Prathaman Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 602 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 27g169%
Cholesterol 6mg2%
Sodium 20mg1%
Potassium 364mg10%
Carbohydrates 76g25%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 56g62%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 51mg5%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Post a picture to Instagram & Mention @thetastesofindia or tag #thetastesofindia!

Frequently Asked Questions about Ada Prathaman:

Can we use store-bought coconut milk or normal dairy milk?

To ease the cook you can use store-bought coconut milk, coconut milk powder or you can even use normal dairy milk.

Can we make Ada with All purpose flour instead of rice flour?

Yes, you can. But the authentic taste of ada can be experienced in ada made of rice flour only.

Can we use coconut oil instead of ghee?

Yes, of course, you can use coconut oil too to make Ada Prathaman.

My Recommended Product:

To make this Ada Payasam you must need a coconut scrapper and muslin cloth. Here I have listed two of these products you might want to have in your kitchen.

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. I am an independent blogger and the reviews are done based on my own opinions. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

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A lot of time, effort, and passion goes into each post. My greatest satisfaction comes from your feedback. If you really liked this post and found helpful to you, please take a minute of your time to leave a comment and share it so that others have access to it as well. Thank you all for your support. 

A self-proclaimed Champion Cook, who gets the confidence from the love and praises showered upon me by my family consisting of a Cute little Daughter and a husband who loves the Internet more than me (LoL..) and who incidentally happens to be the man behind the technical aspects of this blog.
I love working from home and the benefits that come from it and that is why I started this blog where I document all my adventures with cooking.
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