Wash and soak the rice in water for a minimum of 8 hours.

Drain and grind with little water, along with shallots, fennel seeds and salt to a thick mixture. Pour into a large mixing bowl and leave to set for an hour.

Now add a cup of rice flour and mix with your hand to get a pliable dough. If it is too runny, add the remaining rice flour and mix again. The dough should be soft, non-sticky and very easy to handle. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt the jaggery. Add in the coconut, shallots and fennel powder and mix well. Cook for a few minutes till the mixture gets well incorporated. Allow to cool.

To make the adas, take a ball of dough, big enough that is normally used for chappathi.

Spread it on the leaf till you have covered the leaf. Ensure that the spread is not thick, otherwise the adas wouldn't taste good.

Spoon in some of the coconut mixture just enough to fit in, do not over stuff. Close the sides and nice press the edges to seal. Repeat with till all the leaves are done.

Steam the ela adas in your idli steamer or a big vessel for 15-20 minutes. The time to stop would be when you can easily peel off the leaf from the ada, it would come out neatly without leaving any stains on the ada.

Spread the adas on your countertop and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Serve with a cup of chai for sure!!!