Ada Pradhaman

Pradhaman is  a  sweet  dish  prepared  with  jaggery  and  coconut milk. It  is  sweet  ,  like a  custard  and  tastes  absolutely  earthy and  divine.  This is  the   vegan  version of  Palada,  if  you  substitute  the  little  amount  of   ghee  used  for   frying    the  garnishes with  coconut  or  any  flavorless  oil .

Jaggery is  the  un-distilled  concentrated  sap or  juice   from  sugar cane or  palms .  These  are  predominantly used  in the  Indian  subcontinent and  SriLanka.    This is  the  home  made country  sugar  of  yore , much before  sugar factories  and  the  bleaching  process came  to be.   In south India Jaggery  from sugar cane is  favored. One  can  still find  the  large  outdoor  stoves    and  vats used   to make jaggery among  the  fields . The  end product  is  very much like  unbleached  sugar with the  molasses  added in.  In a  pinch that   is  what to substitute  with.

Few  words on Coconut Milk  Traditionally  fresh coconut  milk is  used.  Lukewarm  water is added  to grated  coconut is  and  the  milk is  squeezed  out.  This  process is   repeated at least 3 times .  The  milk from  each extraction is  kept  separate.  The  first one  being  the  thickest. If  you let  this  milk  sit  for  sometime  the  coconut  cream  settles  on top .  Consider  the  first  extraction  similar  to the  cream that  settles  on top of  the  canned  coconut  milk.  For a  detailed  description on how  to make  fresh  coconut  milk  click  here.

Use  either  fresh or  store bought  ada.  Here you can find my  quick  and  easy way  for  home  made  ada.  If  store  bought follow  the  package instructions  or   soak in  warm water  for  20 to 30 minutes , rinse  and  drain.

Jaggery needs  to  be  melted  before  using.  For  this take  the  jaggery in a  pan  add  about a  half cup of  water  and  melt over  low  heat .   Strain the  melted  jaggery into the pot  with  ada.   Traditionally   jaggery  is  made  in large  vats   set   among  the  sugar  cane  fields.   It  is  quite  possible  to find  bits  of  sugarcane  and  other impurities in the  mix.   So straining  the  melted  jaggery was  an   essential  step.

If  you are  using   fresh coconut  milk  add the  3rd extraction  (and  the 4th   as well ,if  you have) to the  mix   and bring  to boil.   The  fresh   coconut  milk is  added  in order   starting  with the  thinnest  version  first.   The  thick or  the  first extraction  of  the  milk   is  used  to  finish   the  dish , and   not  boiled.   If  using  the   canned  version ,  remove  half  the  settled  cream    and  mix  in the   rest  and  skip the  next   step .

The  1st  extraction of  coconut  milk  (thick coconut milk)  is  added  towards  the  final  few  minutes of  cooking. The pradhaman is  not  allowed  to boil after  this, it  is  brought  to  a gentle  simmer  and  taken off  the heat.  The cardamom  powder  and  half  of the  fried  garnishes  ar e mixed  in at  this  point.

To make  the  fried  garnishes –   heat  1 to 2  tablespoons of  ghee (or oil ) and  roast the  coconut  bits   and cashew nuts till golden brown  and  the   raisins  till they are  puffed up.

Ada Pradhaman

By Syama

Ada pradhaman is  dessert  made  with  rice, coconut milk and  jaggery.   Rice noodles  are cooked in  coconut  milk  and  jaggery   making  it  delicious  ,  creamy and  nutritious.    It is  topped  with  fried  coconut bits ,  nuts   and  raisins. 

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

  

• 2 C Ada soaked if dry
• 1 Coconut
• 1 lb Jaggery 500 gm
• 1/4 C Broken Cashew Nuts
• 1/4 C Raisins
• 4- 6 Green Cardamom Pods
• 2 Tbsp Coconut bits
• 3- 4 Tbsp Ghee/Oil

Instructions

 

• If using dry ada Soak in warm water to 20 to 30 minutes , rinse and drain .
• Melt the jaggery in 1/2 C water over low heat .
• Extract the coconut milk and and keep each extraction separate. Refer to notes if using canned milk or powder.
• Heat 1 Tbsp oil or  ghee in a thick bottomed pan and toss the ada in it . Add the melted jaggery and the 3rd extraction. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes .
• Add the second extraction and simmer for 5 minutes .
• Crush the cardamom seeds to a fine powder. Fry the raisins , cashew nuts and coconuts in 2 Tbsp oil/Ghee and reserve .
• Add the 1st extraction to the Pradhaman and once the bubbles appear on the sides turn off the heat . Do not allow it come to come to boil . Mix in the cardamom powder and half the fried garnishes. Turn off the  heat and set aside to cool.
• Transfer to serving bowls, sprinkle the remaining garnish on top and serve .

Notes

• For Canned Coconut Milk - Remove half the cream and mix the rest . Use as 1st and 3rd extraction . Skip the second step .
• For Coconut Milk powder - Follow package instruction for 1st extraction , double and triple the quantity of water for second and third extractions .
• Adjust the cook times for desired consistency
• You can  avoid   cooking  the  ada in ghee/oil . 
• Pradhaman  thickens a  little  as  it  cools. 

Nutrition  information is  not  provided as it  varies  greatly  depending  on ingredients 

Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.

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Serve !!!

This one was  for  Onam – as   for  Sadya .     Pradhamans  like  these  and  the thicker  versions  like Nei Payasam   are   often  served  with  small  bananas like apple  banana  or  finger  bananas and  fried  papadams.  The   fruity  and savory  flavors  provide  a  nice   contrast   to the  creamy sweet pradhaman.