Kerala Snack Ottada- Rice Parcel in Banana Leaf

Ottada is sweet rice flour parcels wrapped in banana leaves. There is nothing fancy about ottada, and it is one of the forgotten, traditional old-fashioned teatime snacks of Kerala. There is the smell of charred fresh banana leaves. You bite into crispy sweet rice and coconut filling flavored with chakkavaratti/ jack fruit jam. Jack fruit preserve is a staple in Kerala homes, but it is an optional flavor enhancer. Rice and coconut are important in all traditional Kerala snacks, and jaggery or palm sugar is the preferred sweetener. These traditional teatime snacks are simple, and it invokes nostalgic sweet childhood memories. Grandmother sometimes wraps it into neat parcels and place it on embers or burning charcoal. It will need lots of practice, so for a novice like me, the slow cooking on manchatti is the better option.

Kerala delicacies like elaada, kozhukatta, and ottada are very similar to each other. Elada and ottada have the same recipe- rice flour dough and a sweet coconut filling wrapped in banana leaves. While elaada is steamed, ottada is grilled on a clay pot or manchatti. These different techniques in the cooking process change the texture and flavor of ottada. The smoky charred flavor of plantain leaves is due to roasting the parcels on a hot griddle. It is not soft but has a crispy-chewy sweetness. You can make it with rice flour or wheat flour, and the filling can be either coconut and sugar or coconut with jaggery. Jaggery adds a rich molasses taste that goes well with coconut. You can be creative with the filling. Try adding cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, roasted cumin powder, cashew nuts, raisins, chopped sweet plantains, chopped ripe jackfruit, or jack fruit preserve according to your taste preference.

Jaggery -coconut filling
The filling for this recipe is candied coconut flavored with ghee, cardamom, and jack fruit preserve. Adding jack fruit preserve is optional. You can check the recipe here. The taste of jaggery goes well with coconut, but you can also use sugar as a sweetener. It is always good to melt the jaggery and strain off the impurities. But if it is good quality jaggery, you can grate it or make it into a powder and add it to the coconut and mix. Use freshly grated coconut for this recipe. You can make a large batch and use it for several recipes. You can also serve the filling as coconut candy.

Kerala Snack Ottada- Rice Parcel in Banana Leaf

Ingredients
Rice Flour- 2 1/2 cups
Hot water- 1 3/4 cups
Salt- 1/3 tsp
Sugar- 1 tbs
Coconut Oil - 2 tsp

For the filling
Grated coconut- 1 1/2 cup
Jaggery- 3/4 cup
Water- 1/2 cup
Ghee- 1 tsp
Jack fruit preserve- 1/4 cup
Cardamon powder - 1/2 tsp
banana leafs-for wrapping
Grate jaggery or powder it and mix with coconut and cardamon powder and keep aside.

To make the filling
Crush and powder the jaggery. Mix one cup of water and bring jaggery to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer till all the jaggery melts. Strain out the impurities.
In a heavy bottom, pan adds the strained jaggery and simmer it till it starts thickening. Stir in between and cook till it and attains a two tread consistency. Add coconut and mix well. When you add coconut, the mixture will lose its thick consistency. It will start thickening after three or four minutes. Allow the mixture to simmer till it becomes completely dry, and leaves the edges of the pan. Add jack fruit preserve/ chakkavaratti, ghee, cardamom powder, and mix well. Allow this mixture to cool down completely.
If you do not want to cook the filling, use jaggery that does not have any impurities. Grate jaggery or powder it and mix with coconut and cardamom powder and keep aside.

To make the dough
Boil water along with salt and sugar. In a bowl, add rice flour and make a well in the center. When the water comes to a rolling boil, carefully add the water little by little into the flour and mix with a wooden spatula till all the dough comes together. Mix the coconut oil too, cover, and let it rest for a few minutes. When it cools down a bit, knead the dough and make it smooth. You will need a smooth, soft dough. If it feels stiff to add a little more water and knead. If the dough is sticky, add more flour. Portion dough into a large lemon-sized ball. Cover and set aside.

Wash banana leaf and cut into small pieces. Grease the leaves, with a little oil. Place large lemon size dough balls in the center. Dip your fingers in water or coconut oil, and with your fingers, slowly push and spread the dough on the leaf. Place spoon fulls of the coconut jaggery mixture, and fold the leaf into half. Press the edges and seal the dough. Place it on a hot griddle or manchatti. Cook in low, medium flame for about 3-4 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook till the other side is crispy and golden. The leaves will brown up, and when cooked, it will lift off easily, and the ottada will be slightly golden brown on the outer. Let it cool down and enjoy with tea.