Vegan Ela Ada | The Best Healthy South Indian Dessert

Enjoy this authentic Kerala delicacy made with rice flour, jaggery and coconut filling, and loads of love. You may have come across many kinds of dumplings, but this South Indian dumpling might come as a pleasant surprise for you. Ela Ada has all the ingredients to warm your soul and leave you wanting more. I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did.

What is Ela Ada?

Ela Ada (in Malayalam: Rice dumplings) is a traditional delicacy in Kerala – a region in the south of India. They are rice pockets stuffed with a filling of cooked jaggery and grated coconut. These rice pockets are steamed in banana leaves and served as the perfect dessert during festivities.

The traditional recipe requires the use of jaggery. When I filmed the reel for my Instagram, I used molasses and brown sugar instead. It was my special twist to this heart-warming dessert. Ela Ada is one of the most celebrated desserts prepared in Kerala and this delicacy is often enjoyed during special occasions and festivals. Most of the Indian desserts have an overdose of trans-fats and sugar. Ela Ada is one of the healthiest desserts you will ever find because it is steamed and not fried in oil. The use of fresh coconut, jaggery, and milk makes this dessert an explosion of flavors on the taste buds.

It is enjoyed and relished in most parts of the country but in different variations of the same. For example, these dumplings are steamed in turmeric leaves, in Goa, which imparts a very special flavour itself.

Inspiration for Ela Ada

Ela Ada takes me back to my childhood. We would often visit Kerala during our vacations . My brother and I would spend time playing and eating with my cousins. My uncle would get these delicacies parcelled from a local shop and distribute them to us. We would wait patiently for him to come home, so that we could relish these pockets of joy with a cup of chai or milk.

I miss hogging on such delicacies, especially Dosa with Chutney for breakfast, and Ela Ada for our evening tea-time snacks. Ever since I have moved to France, I often reminisce about those good old days and miss being back in my native place.

So, here’s my attempt to recreate my favourite dessert. Enjoy!

How to Make Ela Ada (Tips and tricks)

Prepping the Banana leaf

Ela or Banana leaf is used to wrap these dumplings which add a distinct flavour and smell to the Ela Ada. It’s great if you have access to fresh Banana leaves. It’s alright if you don’t. You can wrap them in parchment paper and it will turn out more than perfecto.
If you do get your hands on some Banana leaves, here’s how you prepare them. Gently run each leave over a low flame on both sides and cut them into medium-sized squares (roughly 15 cm*30 cm). The heat makes the leaf flexible and easier to wrap the dumplings.

Let’s Dough it!

This step is optional: roast the rice flour on low heat for 5 minutes because it gives nuttier flavour or skip to the next step.

For the dough, add boiling water to the bowl of rice flour and mix using a wooden spoon. Let the mixture cool down and then knead it into a soft dough with your hands. The dough should have the right consistency so that you can roll them easily. You will need the practice to get the right consistency. Check out my video here to understand it better.

Filling for Ela Ada

Jaggery: Ideally, the filling is made from jaggery. No jaggery? No problem. I had no jaggery at home so I had to improvise while filming the reel. I have used a combination of brown sugar and molasses to make the filling.

Fresh Coconut: Ideally fresh coconut is used for this recipe. You can easily substitute it with a combination of desiccated coconut and coconut milk.

Start by carmelising brown sugar in a pan. Add the coconut milk (if subbing), soy milk, molasses, and water to dissolve. Continue to mix till it thickens. Add the fresh or desiccated coconut and crushed cardamom. Now switch off the heat, mix well with a wooden spoon and let it cool. The consistency should be dense and mouldable. If you wish, you can roast the desiccated coconut or grated coconut on medium heat before adding it to the brown sugar and molasses mixture but I prefer it unroasted.

Let’s make the Ela Ada

Take a banana leaf or parchment paper and grease it with oil. Place a lemon size dough on the leaf and pat the dough to flatten it. The flattened dough should be the size of your palm. Place the coconut filling on one side and lightly spread it using your fingers. Fold the leaf over the dumpling to form a semi-circle-sized pocket. Seal the sides by gently pressing. Steam them for about 15 minutes or until cooked completely. Remember to place the Ela Adas one over the other in the steamer so there is even distribution of steam. Do a taste test before you serve. If you prefer, you can also serve them cold.

The Ela Adas are ready to be served with some piping hot chai!

Pro-tip

• Adjust the sweetness as per your taste.

• It will take you a bit of practice to get the right consistency.

If you like this recipe, check out other desserts from my page:

• Easy Vegan Kulfi (Indian Ice cream)
• Healthy Vegan Laddoos

• Vegan Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies

Don’t forget to tag @beextravegant if you make this and follow for more amazing recipes. Cheers!

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