Easy Homemadeada payasam (Adapradhaman)

Adapayasam is a staple for Kerala onam sadya. Once you make this homemade ada payasam, you will never go back to instant ada! You can prepare this payasam with four easy steps.

Ingredients

For Ada:
Unakkalari (payasam rice), ½ cup
Water, ¼ cup + ¾ tbs
Ghee, 1 tsp + For greasing
Sugar, ½ tsp
For Payasam:
Jaggery, 250g + Water, 1 ½ cups
Grated coconut, from 1 ½ coconut 
Pearl sago, 2 ½ tbs + Water, 1 cup
Dry ginger powder, ¼ tsp
Cardamom powder, ½ tsp
Ghee, 1 tbs + 2 tsp
Cashews, 12 to 15 nos.
Raisins, 2 tbs full

Preparation

Step 1

• Soak the rice for 3 hours and drain the water. Grind to a fine paste by adding ¼ cup of water. Add ¾ tablespoon of water and grind once again (the batter should be thicker than the dosa batter). Add in sugar and 1 tsp ghee, mix well.
• Boil water in a steamer. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto a greased plate and swirl for an even layer. Steam and cook for 7 to 8 minutes over medium flame.
• Take water in another bowl and set it aside.
• Remove the plate from the steamer and allow to cool.
• You can cut in two ways; either slit the ada into 5 or 6 pieces vertically and transfer to a chopping board to cut into square pieces, or remove the entire ada from the plate to a chopping board to cut into square pieces. 
• Immediately transfer to the water bowl. Repeat as necessary, for the prepared batter. 
• Once you are done, rinse the ada pieces and fill the bowl with fresh water. You can store the ada in the fridge for up to two days, but remember to drain and fill it with fresh water every day.

Step 2

• Take 1 ¼ cups of water and grated coconut in a blender. Blend it for a few seconds and transfer it to a bowl. Squeeze it with your hands to extract 1 ½ cups of coconut milk. This is the 1st milk, filter, and set aside.
• Add the pulp to the blender with some more water and blend twice to get 4 cups of 2nd coconut milk (which is thinner than the 1st milk). Filter separately and set aside.

Step 3

• Wash and cook the sago in a saucepan over the medium flame by adding one cup of water for five minutes, stirring continuously. Set aside and mix occasionally to avoid sticking.

Step 4

• Melt the jaggery in a saucepan by adding 1 ½ cups of water.
• Once it is completely melted, strain to remove the impurities.
• After filtering, boil the jaggery water. 
• Drain the water from the ada and add to jaggery water.
• Stir gently, until the jaggery thickens by adding one tablespoon of ghee.
• Add the 2nd milk (4 cups) and stir continuously.
• After 5 minutes, add sago and stir continuously over medium flame.
• Once it thickens, add 1st milk (1 ½ cups) and add ginger powder and cardamom powder.
• Boil over medium-low flame for one minute, stirring gently.
• Add condensed milk and stir for another minute over low flame.
• Switch off the flame. 
• Roast the cashews and raisins separately in ghee and add to the payasam.

You can refrigerate this payasam for a few days. If it thickens, you can loosen it as necessary by adding hot milk.

Your payasam is ready. Enjoy!
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