Palada Prathaman is my ever favorite payasam. There are several payasam varieties. Some of the very famous ones being adapradhaman, chakkapradhaman, palada pradhaman, parippu pradhaman, idichu pizhinja payasam, aval pradhaman, wheat Pradhaman, etc. But the royalty is the palada pradhaman. There are no shortcuts to making this fabulous dish. In palada prathaman pieces of flour paste (ada) are boiled in milk and sweetened with sugar. No ghee or spices are added except some cardamoms.My Mother used to make ada in banana leaves. The rice used is a special reddish variety which is washed, dried, and powdered. A paste made of this powder is spread on banana leaves, which are rolled and tossed into boiling water. Once cooked, the leaves are plunged into cold water, and the cooked rice spread removed, and cut fine. This is the ada.Now Ada packet available in all stores.I prepared Ada pradaman on onam day.
Ingredients:
Ada : 1/2 cup
Milk : 1 lr milk
Sugar : 1 to1/2 cup or as per your taste
Cardomom powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Saffron (optional) strands : 2 or 3 strands
Method:
Soak rice ada in boiling hot water for 10 minutes and rinse them in cold waterand fry boiled ada with 2 tsp ghee
Boil milk in a thick bottom pan then Add boiled ada and reduce heat to low medium while stirring all the time.
Keep stirring till milk is reduced by 2/3rd. cook until the consistency becomes thick. This will take minimum 1 hr to 1 ½ hrs. the color of pradaman should be of pink color.
Add sugar and mix it well and boil for few min. Then add cardomom.
