Two traditional Kerala pradhaman recipes to sweeten your Onam feast

Ada Pradhaman

Ingredients

½ cup ada | 1 cup jaggery | 1 cup thin coconut milk | ½ cup thick coconut milk | 2 tbsp ghee | 12 cashews | 2 tbsp coconut pieces | ¼ tsp cardamom powder | 1/8 tsp dry ginger powder

How to make

Rinse the ada in water.

Boil 2 cups of water. Switch off the heat and remove from the stove.

Add the rinsed ada to the hot water and set aside for 15 minutes.

Transfer the ada to a strainer and rinse with water to prevent further cooking.

The ada should be slightly soft, as it will cook further with the jaggery syrup and coconut milk. Do not let it become too mushy.

Add the jaggery and ½ cup water to a pan and heat until the jaggery completely dissolves. Switch off the heat.

Strain the jaggery syrup through a metal strainer to remove any impurities.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai. Add the cashews and fry until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Add the coconut pieces to the same kadai and fry until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Add the drained ada to the kadai and sauté for a minute. It may stick slightly to the pan, so keep stirring.

Add the strained jaggery syrup and cook until it thickens. This will take about 10 minutes.

Add the thin coconut milk and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.

Add the dry ginger powder and cardamom powder and mix well.

Add the thick coconut milk and stir well.

Add the fried cashews and coconut pieces, followed by the remaining 1 tbsp ghee.

Give it a quick mix. Once it starts to boil, switch off the heat. Do not boil after adding the thick coconut milk.

The pradhaman will thicken as it cools, so switch off the heat accordingly.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nendram Pazham Pradhaman

Ingredients

2 nendran bananas

½ cup jaggery

¾ cup thin coconut milk

½ cup thick coconut milk

1/4 tsp dry ginger powder

1/8 tsp cardamom powder

4 cashews, broken

2 tbsp coconut pieces

1 tbsp melted ghee

How to make

Add jaggery and a little water to a pan and heat for about 2 minutes, until the jaggery dissolves. Strain to remove any impurities and set aside.

Trim the ends of the bananas and cut each into two. Steam for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Check if the bananas are cooked by inserting a knife. Peel them, slit lengthwise and remove the seeds from the centre.

Transfer the bananas to a mixer jar and pulse once. Add a little water and blend into a smooth puree. Set aside.

Heat ghee in a kadai and fry the cashews until golden. Remove and set aside.

In the same kadai, fry the coconut pieces until golden. Set aside.

Add the banana puree to the kadai and cook for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking.

Add the jaggery syrup and mix well. Pour in the thin coconut milk and cook for a few minutes.

Add the dry ginger powder and cardamom powder and mix well.

Finally, add the thick coconut milk, fried cashews and coconut pieces. Stir well and switch off the heat.

Serve warm and enjoy the Nendram Pazham Pradhaman.