Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Yel Adai
Yel Adai (Coconut & Rice Pancakes)

Yel Adai

Coconut & Rice Pancakes
VegetarianOrigin Tamil Nadu/KeralaPrep 1 hour, plus soaking timeCook 20 minutes

Steamed South Indian rice pockets wrapped in banana leaves with a sweet filling of jaggery and grated coconut. They have a soft, tender texture with warm cardamom notes throughout.

Batter spice

2.2 gStirred into the pureed rice batter (step 4)
01
Green cardamom pod · Elaichiground
2.2 g1 teaspoon
spice
Grind to a fine powder.

Everything else

01
Rice · Chawalrinsed and drained
500 g
grain
02
Banana leaf · Kela patta
120 g4 pieces
other
03
Jaggery · Gur
250 g
sweetener
04
Lime juice · Nimbu Ka Ras
2.5 g½ teaspoon
souring agent
05
Fresh coconut · Taaza Nariyalgrated
24 g4 tablespoons
fruit
06
Ghee
150 g
oil/fat
07
Salt · Namak
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Cover 500 g rice with water in a bowl and let it soak for 20 minutes, then drain completely. Cut 4 banana leaves into 10 cm (4-inch) squares.
  2. Place 250 g jaggery and 750 ml water into a heavy saucepan over gentle heat, stirring until melted. Bring to a boil, skim away any froth that rises to the surface, and reduce the liquid until it shrinks to roughly a quarter of its original volume and reaches a thin single-thread consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in 2.5 g lime juice.
  3. Stir 24 g fresh coconut into the syrup and simmer over medium heat for 7 minutes. Mix in the majority of the 150 g ghee, setting aside about 30 g (2 tablespoons) to brush the wrappers.
  4. Transfer the drained rice to a blender and blitz, adding water in small splashes until you achieve a thick dropping consistency. Season with salt to taste and incorporate the batter spice.
  5. Brush the banana leaf squares with the reserved ghee, then flash-heat each square on a dry hot skillet just until pliable. Dollop a spoonful of rice batter into the middle of each leaf, top with a layer of the coconut mixture, and fold the edges over to seal into compact parcels.
  6. Set the parcels in a steamer over boiling water, seal with a lid, and steam for 20 minutes until cooked through. Serve either warm or chilled.

Don't have something?

Rice
  • Basmati rice

    Use the same weight; rinse and soak as needed. Fluffier and drier, so use slightly less water.

  • Long-grain rice

    Use the same weight; similar behaviour, adjust water to your usual method.

  • Short-grain rice

    Use the same weight; stickier and softer, so reduce water and avoid stirring.

Banana leaf
  • Green cabbage

    Blanch large outer leaves for 30 seconds and use as a parcel; use the same size to wrap. No banana aroma.

  • Collard greens

    Blanch whole leaves for 1 minute and use as a wrap; slightly tougher and more peppery.

Jaggery
  • Granulated sugar

    Use 80% of the weight. Granulated sugar is sweeter by weight, but gives a cleaner, one-dimensional sweetness that lacks jaggery's caramel, molasses depth.

  • Raisin

    Soak and blend into a paste; use 100% to 120% of the weight. Adds rich, natural, fruity sweetness with complex, dark molasses notes that thicken the gravy.

Lime juice
  • Lemon juice

    Use equal volume or weight; slightly sweeter and less pungent, but otherwise an imperceptible swap.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight; imparts dry, fruity sourness, best stirred in right at the end of cooking.

  • Tamarind extract

    Use 50% of the weight; delivers pleasant fruity tang but turns pale sauces considerably darker.

Fresh coconut
  • Desiccated coconut

    Use 50% to 60% of the weight, soaked in equal parts warm water for 15 minutes before grinding. Works well for chutneys, though texture is slightly finer and sweeter.

  • Coconut milk

    Use 1.2 times the weight in curries. Adds creamy richness and authentic flavour, but makes gravies smoother and eliminates the grated, chewy mouthfeel.

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Similar dishes

Nariyal ki Kheer
Coconut Rice Pudding
It tastes milky and cleanly sweet, lacking the rich molasses depth of jaggery and the slight citrus tang found in this dish.
  • Same: Nariyal ki Kheer shares the combination of rice, fresh coconut, green cardamom, and ghee with this dish.
  • Different: Rather than being steamed in banana leaves with jaggery and lime juice, Nariyal ki Kheer is simmered as a pudding using granulated sugar, far more coconut, and much less ghee.
Arisi Pulao
Steamed Rice & Coconut Snacks
Arisi Pulao has a gentle, clean sweetness rather than the rich, spiced, and slightly tangy flavor of this dish.
  • Same: Arisi Pulao shares the steamed rice and fresh coconut base with this dish.
  • Different: Arisi Pulao is layered with granulated sugar rather than folded around a jaggery filling, and it omits the ghee, cardamom, lime juice, and banana-leaf wrapping used in this dish.
Appam
Rice Pancakes with Coconut Milk
Appam has crispy lacy rims and a soft centre with a mild tang, gentle sweetness, and cumin aroma, while this dish is soft and tender with sweet jaggery-coconut filling and warm cardamom notes.
  • Same: Appam and this dish are both South Indian rice-based pancakes that use coconut.
  • Different: Appam is made from a yeast-fermented batter with coconut milk, sugar, cumin, and vegetable oil and cooked as thin pancakes, while this dish uses jaggery, fresh coconut, cardamom, ghee, and lime juice and is steamed in banana leaves.
Palakkayalu
Coconut Biscuits (Crackers)
Palakkayalu is crunchy, savoury, and spicy, whereas this dish is soft, sweet, and fragrant with cardamom.
  • Same: Palakkayalu shares rice, fresh coconut, and ghee with this dish.
  • Different: Instead of being steamed with jaggery, cardamom, and lime juice, Palakkayalu is deep-fried and incorporates butter, sesame seeds, and chilli powder.