LONG TIME NO POST...

Yes...it has been such a long time since i did a blog post..almost a month...no? Vacation had started , and I lost no time in packing my bags and hightailing it to my hometown in Kollam for some long awaited TLC and R&R . I spent ten days with my parents..then a couple of days bonding with cousins at a gettogether in Cochin, took a short trip to a Beach resort in Kovalam (thank you, vappa and umma!!)and was back home by the fifth of April.

Then why the long absence from the blog? you might ask..
It's wedding season in Kerala now...and I've been running around attending weddings and pre wedding parties for the past two weeks . It's been good fun though, since I really enjoy dressing up. In kerala, we go all out for the weddings..garish heavy jewellery, kanjeevaram and silk saris, jasmine flowers, ...though I must add that of late, there has been a trend towards designer saris and diamond jewellery.

My niece ,A,( the one who loves my carrot cake,remember?)is getting married on May 3rd..and the whole family (my husband's family) have all been so busy shopping for her trousseau and for all of our outfits too...It's been a tradition in our family to do the shopping together...so you can just imagine the mayhem we create when all seven daughter in laws , one sister in law, one mother in law, and twelve to fifteen kids descend upon a shop!!


So you can see how busy I have been, (tee hee!!)For now, I'm posting a very special recipe which is very close to my heart. An old time favorite, a traditional snack, Sarkara Ada. My maternal grandmother, Amma, used to make these for us, whenever we would go to her house for the vacations. Ada, Diamond cuts , Elayappam or chakka ada, these were her specials. THe other two recipes, I will be posting soon...(as soon as I get around to making them and taking a pic!) but today is for

AMMA'S
SARKARA ADA

Ingredients

For the Ada
Rice flour 1 cup
Salt 1/2 tsp
Water 1 cup
A drop of coconut oil (optional)


For the filling
Jaggery 250 gms
Coconut 3/4 cup
Cardamom 3
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Salt a pinch


Method:

For the filling...
1. Melt jaggery in 1/4 th cup of water, cool and strain. Heat again till thick and sticky.

2. Add coconut, salt, and powdered cardamom and cuminseeds.(tasty tip:heat the cardamom and cuminseeds together either in a pan or inthe microwave before powdering..this brings out extra flavour and smell)

3. Mix well.

For the Ada...

1. Boil water and salt . Add rice powder to the boiling water, all the while stirring briskly with a spoon, till the water dries completely and you get a lumpy scrambled mass of cooked rice flour. Leave to cool

2. When the dough has cooled a bit, scrape onto a thali or a flat surface, and knead well with wet hands(this helps in easy kneading) Warning...don't use too much water on your hands...then the dough will become too sticky!! When fully kneaded, add a pinch of coconut oil on your palms and knead one last time for extra softness.

3. Make medium size balls out of the dough. Take one ball at a time and place it in either a pathiri press or your palm. Press it till it is thin and round . Keep this on a small piece of banana leaf or oil paper.

4. Place 1-2 tsp of the filling in the middle of each ada, then fold in half. Press lightly at the semicircular ends to seal the filling in . Fold banana leaf too on top. Do like this with the rest of the balls.


5. Steam for 15 minutes, and serve hot or cold..personally, I like it hot!!