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Learn how to make elai vadam easily at home. you need not have a stand as well. With step by step pictures for easy understanding.
Elai vadam is one I tasted few times as amma makes, but the time when I realized its taste and worthiness is after my delivery. My mom made it and toast directly over fire and give me along the pathiya saapadu. It will be so light and crisp inspite it is toasted dry over fire. My mom and MIL both makes this but in their own ways. I am posting my MIL’s way as I learnt from her.
My mom makes this elai vadam by dipping the back of poovarasam ilai (I think, if I am not wrong). She dries for very short time and then drop the leaves in batches in boiling water. Then peel it off and dry.
This gives very very very thin, light crispy vadams that melt in your mouth as you bite. My MIL’s version is different but equally gives a crisp vadams, but slightly thicker.
I am a big fan of the appalam they sell in the exhibitions, but very rarely get a chance to go and eat as I am here😪. I remember I ate some 4 years back at Chennai exhibition lastly.
So this vadam tastes very close to that and that’s why I am loving this so much😍. This vadam is so versatile.
No sun to dry vadam that you plan to make at home? No worries, you can dry this in shade. Takes less time to dry too. You are not comfortable to fry in oil? No worries, you can microwave this too. Cool right?
Actually there are elai vadam stands commercially available in stores. But I made use of my idli pot to steam these. If you want, you can buy it, it should be available in saravana stores or rathna stores I guess.
Otherwise you can follow this method. I thank my mami (MIL) when ever I fry this and eat this. It looks like a lot of work, but its not, you will enjoy doing this I am sure, so make it atleast with one cup rice if not 2 cups.
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5 from 4 votes
Elai Vadam Recipe
Learn how to make elai vadam easily at home. you need not have a stand as well. With step by step pictures for easy understanding.
Course Snack
Cuisine Indian, South Indian
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Drying time 3 days days
Author Raks Anand
Servings 30
Cup measurements
Ingredients
- 2 cups Raw rice
- 2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- Salt
Instructions
First, wash and soak rice for at least 3 hours. Grind with salt to a very very fine batter.
I ground using my mixie. Grinding smooth is important for crisp texture. Add less water while grinding, then if needed you can add more water to adjust consistency.
It should be slightly runny than our usual dosa batter. Mix cumin seeds
Take 3-4 banana leaf and cut into squares so that it can fit your vessel you are going to steam.
I used my idli pot, placed a idli plate (lower plate) and kept the idiyappam mesh steamer.
Clean the banana leaf, grease very slightly with oil and pour as we do dosa. This should be thin as much as possible. If thick, adjust water consistency.
Steam for a minute, while you do in other banana leaves. Takes just a minute. The color will change as shown in the picture.
Using tong we use to fry papad, take the leaf and peel it, while you steam the next. Repeat the process until you finish all the batter.
As you peel, you can arrange in a clean white cloth for drying. Do not let it fold while you peel as it will stick.
Dry in sun or shade or in fan wind. The next day it will be fully dried. But dry for 3 days for safer side. If you have sun, dry in sun.
Store in container immediately after drying – don’t keep overnight outside.
Once dried completely, fry in enough oil and drain in paper towel.
Notes
- Do not grease with more oil as you cant make round shapes. Do with less oil. No need to grease every time, just 3-4 times once.
- You can use vadhaam tree leaf which is also large enough to steam these vadam.
- If you grind the batter coarse, then it will come out hard crisp.
- If you make vadams thick, then it will not dry easily, you may need sun for drying.
- In case you add more water and make the batter too runny, keep aside for an hour, drain the water that comes over the top and then try making.
- If you don’t have idli pot as I have (using cloth) you can use a big kadai with lid too for steaming.
- If not dried properly then you can try preheating oven for 190 deg. C and spread the vadams inside and leave it as such for ½ hour or an hour. Then store it.
- You can microwave in high for a minute too instead of deep frying in oil.
- Do not make too big, I made big, but I have to break it before frying. Otherwise it gets fried and enlarges big. So its up to you if you can stand and make, make small or make big and break before frying.
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Stepwise photos
1. Soak rice for atleast 3 hours. Grind with salt to a very very fine paste/ batter. I ground using my mixie. Grinding smooth is important for crisp texture.
2. Add less water while grinding, then if needed you can add more water to adjust consistency. It should be slightly runny than our usual dosa batter. Mix cumin seeds.
3. Take 3-4 banana leaf and cut into squares so that it can fit your vessel you are going to steam. I used my idli pot, placed a idli plate(lower plate) and kept the idiyappam mesh steamer.
4. Clean the banana leaf, grease very slightly with oil and pour as we do dosa. This should be thin as much as possible. If thick, adjust water consistency.
5. Steam for a minute, while you do in other banana leaves. Takes just a minute. The color will change as shown in the picture. Using tong we use to fry papad, take the leaf and peel it, while you steam the next. Repeat the process until you finish all the batter.
6. As you peel, you can arrange in a clean white cloth for drying. Do not let it fold while you peel as it will stick.
7. Dry in sun or shade or in fan wind. The next day it will be fully dried. But dry for 3 days for safer side. If you have sun, dry in sun.
8. Store in container immediately after drying – don’t keep overnight outside. Once dried completely, fry in enough oil and drain in paper towel.
Goes well with any rice varieties, I had mine with tamarind rice. Also as such with spicy podi sprinkled over
