Ela ada / Ilayappam

It is also called Valsan/Elayappam. A traditional Kerala dish made with rice flour, coconut-jaggery  filling and then steamed wrapped in banana leaf or Indian bay leaf(Vayana ila) . It is a very healthy and tasty dish and of course one of the favourites among malayalees. You can have it as an evening snack or morning breakfast. When I got a banana leaf, the first thing came across my mind was this special snack. Here I have used wheat flour instead of rice flour. The same dough you can use for making sweet dumplings/Kozhukkatta. For a variation ripe jack fruit also used in the filling.

Ingredients

• Wheat Flour – 1 cup
• Salt- 1 pinch
• Banana leaves- cut into rectangles
• Boiling water- as required

For filling

• Cardamon powder – 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
• Grated Jaggery – 1/4 cup

Preparation

1. Mix coconut, jaggery and cardamom powder with hands until well combined.
2. In a large mixing bowl ,add wheat flour and salt. Pour boiling water and mix well using a wooden spatula.Allow this to cool slightly and knead well to form a soft dough.
3. Take a lemon sized portion of the dough and place it onto a piece of  banana leaf and flatten it using your finger tips to form a thin and even layer of dough on it.
4. Spread the filling onto the dough and fold the leaf in half and press the sides gently to seal the edges.
5. Place it in a steamer/idly cooker and steam it for 10 minutes.Allow it to cool slightly before serving.