Rice ada is commonly used in sweet dishes like ada pradhaman, a traditional Kerala dessert made with rice ada, jaggery, coconut milk, and nuts. Rice ada can also be used in making payasam, a popular South Indian sweet dish made with milk, rice ada, and sugar, flavored with cardamom and garnished with nuts.

Rice ada can be used in savory dishes as well. It can be stuffed with a filling made of grated coconut, jaggery, and cardamom, and then steamed to make ada kozhukattai, a traditional Tamil Nadu dish. Rice ada can also be used in making upma, where it is cooked with vegetables, spices, and lentils to create a savory and wholesome breakfast dish.