Learn how to make south Indian ellu sadam, sesame rice. Easy and flavorful, can make quickly and healthy too. With step by step picture.
For this kaanum pongal 2014, I am posting this long time pending post - ellu sadam recipe (sesame rice recipe). I had included ellu sadam in my aadi perukku lunch menu and said that I will post the recipe soon. And this is the right time to post, otherwise I will forget again🙄. I started loving ellu sadam when I was in hostel. Every Saturday, my roommates and myself will go to the nearby temple in our hostel campus and used to help the priest there in cleaning the temple and other things. After pooja, he used to give us a bucket full of ellu sadam and we used to carry it to our hostel and distribute to our hostellers and then have ourselves too. He brings it from home to offer God and distribute as prasadam.
As Saturday most of the girls will be sleeping and only very few will go to temple, he used to give it to us and ask to distribute. And it will be tasting so divine obviously! The recipe will be so simple with just sesame and red chill roasted and ground coarsely, mixed with rice. But the burst of flavours cannot be explained. That too for a hosteller, you can imagine how great a home made food would mean. It feels just it happened last year. I won't make ellu sadam that often, maybe I have done 3-4 times in my life. I love it, still no one else at home eats, so I give it least priority. This time, I wanted to post, so made it and enjoyed myself ☺. Here's the simple recipe, that could be useful for tomorrow's Kaanum pongal rice varieties.
Recipe card
ellu sadam
Ingredients
- 2&½ tablespoon Black or white sesame
- 1 cup Rice
- 6 Red chilli
- 1 teaspoon Urad dal
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
To temper
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- 1 Curry leaves sprig
Instructions
- Cook rice with 2 cups of water for 4 whistles.Once done, transfer to a mixing bowl, add salt and sesame oil. Mix gently and cool the rice.
- First roast urad dal and red chillies in a teaspoon of oil. Then roast the sesame seeds until it pops. When in starts popping, put the flame to low and keep stirring. When the popping stops, stop roasting too.
- Cool down and first grind urad dal and chilli coarsely. Then add the sesame seeds.
- Use inch/ pulse button and grind to a coarse powder. You can temper in the same kadai you roast and transfer to the mixing bowl.
- Add the tempered items and powdered item to the rice and mix gently.
Notes
- You can use white sesame seeds too, but I love the black sesame seeds colour for this rice.
- My MIL said we can add a tablespoon of coconut too. Give it a roast along with urad dal.
- You can add broken cashews too while tempering to make it rich.
Ellu sadam method:
-
- Cook rice with 2 cups of water for 4 whistles.Once done, transfer to a mixing bowl, add salt and sesame oil. Mix gently and cool the rice.
- First roast urad dal and red chillies in a teaspoon of oil. Then roast the sesame seeds until it pops. When in starts popping, put the flame to low and keep stirring. When the popping stops, stop roasting too.
- Cool down and first grind urad dal and chilli coarsely. Then add the sesame seeds.
- Use inch/ pulse button and grind to a coarse powder. You can temper in the same kadai you roast and transfer to the mixing bowl.
- Add the tempered items and powdered item to the rice and mix gently.
Enjoy with some fried vadams or fryums. I can eat as such 🙂 
Anonymous says
Love it with vadaams. Drooling..
Ruchi Indu says
What a coincidence.... This year my addition was also ellu saadam to kaanum pongal recipe special 🙂
But I am yet to update the recipe. Cool pics!!!!
R Malathi says
Adding little jaggery powder while mixing the rice will give better taste. It should not be very sweet also.
Raks Anand says
Thanks for the suggestion, sounds great!
Shama Nagarajan says
super rice raji
Sathya Priya says
This rice def is awesome and it taste good .
Veena Theagarajan says
our fav rice.. looks yum
AparnaRajeshkumar says
this is one of my favorite raks.. i will die esp if they serve in temple
suganya ram says
Hi Raks, Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I love all ur recipes & presentation. Please post sweet Poli recipe for me.
divya says
Delicious, Drooling here
Wer SAHM says
very appetizing spicy ,tasty rice .....
SONIYA SREE says
We can make the poodi the previous day itself and the next day we can just mix with the rice by this way it will be more easier on the festival days. ....
madhu anvekar says
Looks yummy !
Gokila Chandran says
Hi raks.. this one looks very delicious.. pls do tell me if i can store the podi for some days..?
Gokila Chandran says
Hi raks.. Can we store this podi..? if yes for how many days..?
Raks anand says
Yes, may be a week in fridge
Jayanthi Raman says
Simple and tasty rice 🙂