Erivum Puliyum: Chakka Ottada | Roasted Jackfruit Parcels

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Chakka Ottada | Roasted Jackfruit Parcels

Ottada is a traditional Kerala snack made with rice flour, grated coconut and jaggery with some flavourful spices. This is almost sinmikar to elayada but ottada are usually roasted and not steamed unlike elayada. If you personally ask me, which of the two- elayada or ottada ? I would say ottada as I like the crisp outer covering with a soft ada inside.

I have posted the traditional ottada long back in my blogspace long back, the link to which is here. Traditional ottada is cooked in a claypot (eathern ware) but you can always make these on a dosa tawa or nonstick pan. Elayada or ottada is prepared in banana leaves and is either steamed or roasted. I prepare the steamed chakka appams whenever there is ripe jackfruit bulbs. If you are interested in watching the chakka elayada recipe made with chakka varetti, then the link is here. This time for a change I tried making the chakka ottada which is crispy on the cover and you get to taste the smoky flavors of the banana leaves too. This is a PERFECT snack for all weight watchers, oil free snack hunters and a healthy after school snack too. Try this out if you still get some ripe jackfruit bulbs !

Preparation time ~ 15 minutes

Cooking time ~ 20-25 minutes

Serves ~ 6-7 adas

Author ~ Julie

Ingredients

chakka / ripe jackfruit bulbs 15 -20 that makes cooked chakka 1 cup

roated rice flour / idiyappam podi 1 cup

grated coconut 1/2 cup

jaggery 1/2 cup

dry ginger powder/ chukku podi 1/2 tsp

cumin powder / jeeraka podi 1/2 tsp

salt a pinch

Watch on YouTube-

Method

Add the desseeded jackfruit bulbs in the cooker and add water (1/2 cup). Pressure cook for two whistles.
In the meantime, melt the jaggery using 1/4 cup water.
Add the cookred jackfruit in a bowl and add the strained jaggery syrup to this.
To this, add grated coconut, rice flour (half of the mentioned), roasted cumin powder and dry ginger powder, salt. Combine all the ingredients and start kneading to a smooth dough.
Add the remaining rice flour little by little and make a thick batter (don't add any extra water).
The dough shouldn't be very tight nor very loose, else the cooked ada may be very hard if its too tight and if its very loose its hard to spread on the banana leaves.
Now take small pieces of clean fresh banana leaves (I have used frozen leaves). Scoop out small portions of the dough. Spread on the leaf using clean hands, or use another piece of a bnana leaf and press on top of thedough and spread evenly, gently pull out the top leaf and fold the prepared ada in half.
Similarly, prepare all the other adas till you finish the dough. Stack up the adas and keep aside.
Heat a ottada chatti or any iron griddle for 5 minutes on low flame. Place the prepared ada in one layer in the chatti.
You can place weight over the prepared ada for even browning or cover the adas with a lid.
Cook for 5-7 minuteson low flame, till the leaves become browned and charred on the underside. Gently flip the other side and cook another 2-3 minutes or till the other side leaves become browned.
Transfer the prepared ada to a plate and serve with black coffee or hot piping tea.