Ada Pradhaman is more than just a dessert for me – it’s an emotion. It’s a dish that brings back memories of grand Sadyas, Onam celebrations, weddings, and temple feasts. The rich, golden color, the deep aroma of jaggery and ghee, the soft bite of ada, and the creamy sweetness of coconut milk – it all comes together to create something truly divine. Among all the payasams I’ve grown up eating, this one holds a special place in my heart.
What makes this version of Ada Pradhaman even more meaningful to me is that I prepare the ada from scratch, the traditional way – using soaked raw rice, spread into thin sheets, steamed, and then chopped into tiny squares. No shortcuts. No store-bought ada. Just the old-fashioned method, full of care and patience.
There’s something deeply satisfying about this process. The soaking of the rice, grinding it smooth, spreading the batter into thin layers, and steaming it to get soft, translucent ada – it takes time, but it’s worth every minute. You feel connected to tradition, to the way our mothers and grandmothers made payasam on special occasions.
Once the ada is ready, it’s gently simmered in jaggery syrup – dark, rich, and full of depth – before being combined with thick coconut milk. The smell that fills the kitchen when the jaggery and coconut milk come together is unforgettable. A final touch of ghee-roasted coconut bits, cashews, and a pinch of cardamom adds that beautiful finishing layer of flavor.
This is the payasam we make for Onam, Vishu, weddings, and temple offerings. It’s not just sweet – it’s ceremonial. It’s festive. It carries the mood of celebration in every spoonful.
Making ada from scratch might seem time-consuming today, especially when ready-made ada is available in most stores. But for me, this traditional method makes the dish taste better. There’s something soulful about eating a payasam you’ve built from the ground up – from raw rice to final drizzle of ghee.
Ada Pradhaman is creamy, slightly nutty from the coconut, and rich with jaggery – not overly sweet, but perfectly balanced. And the homemade ada – soft yet chewy – makes it unforgettable.
If you’ve only had ada pradhaman made with store-bought ada, I invite you to try this method just once. There’s a difference you can taste – and feel. And once you do, it might become your favorite too, just like it is mine.
Ada Pradhaman
Ingredients
Instructions
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Ada Pradhamn or Ada payasam is made on special occasions in Kerala. Such as Onam, Vishu, someone’s Birthday, Marriage etc. Here we are making Ada Pradhaman in a traditional way. We do not use readymade ada (a type of rice flakes) but we make Ada at home. So let’s start
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First of all we soak rice for about 2-3 hours . Then drain water and make fine powder in a mixer grinder. You can use a sieve to remove big particles.
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Next, we add 2 teaspoon Ghee (if not available use Coconut Oil) and enough water to make a running batter.
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Prepare banana leaf pieces by heating it over flame ( Ila vattal)
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Pour a teaspoon batter over it. spread evenly. Roll it and tie both end ( no need a tight tie- just to prevent open it while falling in water)
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Boil water and put these banana leaf rolls in it and cook it about 10-15 minutes
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Let it cool enough . Open banana rolls, remove cooked Adas from leaf . (If you are using coconut oil, you need to wash it twice or more time to remove excess oil )
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Ok, our Adas are ready .
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And, If you want to use it later, you can sun dry or use a dehydrator and completely remove water content and store in an air tight container. Before using it, just put it in hot water and use it.
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Now we have to prepare Coconut Milk. Depends on consistency, we name it in to three. Onnam Pal ( Thala pal) or First milk, Randaam Pal or Second Milk and Moonam Pal or Third Milk. Onnam pal is the thickest one and Moonam pal is lightest one.
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The process is simple. Add hot water in grated coconut, Grind it Mixer grinder and squeeze it. It’s the Onnam pal or thala pal. Again we repeat the process on same coconut, its randam pal or second milk and finally we repeat it once more and its Moonam pal or third milk.
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Now melt jaggery with some water. Strain the syrup for impurities and Heat again.
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Add Ada in Jaggery syrup and stir continuously . When the syrup start to thicken, add 4 teaspoon Ghee .
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Next we will add Moonam Pal or third milk and stir continuously. When the mix start to thicken, Add Second Milk or Randam pal do not stop stirring .
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Mix Onnam pal or First milk with Cardamom powder and add it when the mixture become thick again.
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After add the First Milk, Flame off and remove it from stove.
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Finally, in a pan, heat some Ghee, fry coconut strips and add it to Payasam .
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Ada Pradhaman is ready . Have it with Pappadam .