What happens when you live in a place where the most common things you have seen in an earlier part of your life, becomes a rare sight?
Your eyes will always wander in search of those things and once you see it then you become super excited, nostalgia hits you and you want to make it your own the very next moment. Is it not? ?
The same thing happened to me the moment I saw banana leaves at the super market here in Singapore. I felt I was missing them so much in my kitchen and ideas were just sparkling inside my head. I donot even know when I grabbed the thick looking packet and dropped in the shopping trolley. I could feel the adrenaline rush because of the booming ideas in my head. Meen pollichath ( fish roasted in the plantain leaf), sharkkara (jaggery) ada are the two things that came to my mind all of a sudden.
Here is the recipe for the easiest wheat and jaggery ada that I have ever made. I have added just two ingredients namely Jaggery and grated coconut. You can add raisins, cashews, a pinch of cumin powder and even chopped bananas to enhance the filling.
You will need:
- Wheat flour- 1 cup, makes about 4 ada.
- Salt to taste
- Water as required.
- Grated coconut- 1/2 cup
- Grated Jaggery- 1/3 cup or more
- Cumin powder- A pinch.
- Elaichi, crushed- 3 (optional)
- Plantain leaf- 4 pieces, 20 cm×20 cm size approx
Method:
- In a mixing bowl, make a thick and sticky batter with wheat, salt and water. It should be a little loose than the usual roti batter but should not be too runny.
- Mix the jaggery and coconut very well to make the filling.
- Take the plantain leaf and spread a ball of the thick batter or watery dough and spread into a round shape with your fingers.
- Place the filling inside and fold the leaf once.
- In a flat pan preferably a non-stick pan, pour some oil and place the ada one by one when the pan is hot. Keep the ada covered with the lid to enable steam cooking.
- Once done, flip to the other side and repeat. Do not burn the sides.
- I still prefer the plantain leaves browned a little bit as it renders a unique flavour to the ada inside.
- Serve with some hot tea.
Enjoy cooking!