paasi paruppu payasam
The second year of blogging has not been a continuous writing affair… though there was no end to cooking affair! Too much into packing, shifting places, entering new places and faces, unpacking and settling has been quite tedious. When I look back, the previous year has been a slow-paced one… sometimes out of sight for a couple of months too. But I feel overwhelmed by the support I have received in spite of those long intervals.
NANRI – Thanks a ton – for understanding my absence for short periods!
During this period of settling down, the new subscribers that joined hands with me and my old friends who have been continuously keeping pace with my posts, have made me feel more guilty of not having settled sooner and not having posted more. I shall surely try to compensate on that this year.
As usual, let’s enter another year with a sweet dish. This is one of my favourite payasams, of course next to Adai Pradhaman (https://dosaikal.com/adai-pradhaman-ada-pradhaman).J aggery and coconut milk make a sweet dish heavenly! This is one such payasam/pudding/kheer, with dehusked green gram. Generally, in payasams or any sweet dish, nuts are roasted or fried in nei/ghee to add richness and flavour. Here, traditionally, thinly cubed coconut pieces are fried in nei/clarified butter and added to the completed payasam. The coconut pieces can be added with fried cashewnuts. But, they can taste good all alone without the nuts too! Here, I have avoided the nuts and added fried coconut pieces alone.
I have seen aachi and amma always use chukku podi – dry ginger powder when jaggery is used in sweets. Adding dry ginger to jaggery helps in avoiding acidity and gastric problems. When the dish has coconut milk to make it a heavy intake, chukku podi/dry ginger powder would aid in easy digestion too!
Paasi Paruppu Payasam
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
- paasi paruppu/dehusked green gram – 3/4 cup
- vellam/jaggery – 1/2 cup
- water – 1/4 cup to dissolve jaggery
- thengai pal/coconut milk – 1 and 1/2 cup
- chukku podi/dry ginger powder – 1/2 tsp
- elakkai podi/cardamom powder – 1//2 tsp
- thinly cubed coconut pieces – 3 tblsp or lesser as per preference
- nei/clarified butter – 2 tblsp
Method of Preparation
- In a pan, roast dehusked green gram till golden brown, no oil or butter needed
- In the same pan, fry coconut pieces in clarified butter till golden brown
- Cook the gram in pressure cooker with enough water till done; do not overcook
- While the green gram is getting cooked in the pressure cooker, dissolve jaggery in just enough water (1/4 cup). Strain it to avoid impurities
- Now on, the preparation is really easy and simple – Strain jaggery into the pressure cooker with cooked lentil
- Add dry ginger powder and cardamom powder and bring the mixture to a slightly thick consistency; if the cooked lentil is already thick and with very less water and the addition of jaggery has made it thicker, not to worry – add very little water if needed. This might help blending jaggery well with the lentil
- When jaggery is well blended with cooked lentil, add coconut milk. I used canned coconut milk
- If the payasam is too thick in consistency, add 1/2 cup water to dilute it. If one likes the thicker version, can avoid adding more water
- After coconut milk is added, too much cooking and boiling might make coconut milk curdle due to the presence of jaggery
- Bring to a single boil and switch off the stove
- Transfer to a serving bowl and mix the fried coconut pieces with nei/clarified butter
- Serve hot.
Note:
- Do not roast the lentil too dark as the payasam would lose perfect colour.
- Coconut pieces should be really thin.
- Keep track of the amount of water in cooking the lentil and soaking jaggery… too much water would result in too much cooking time in reducing the lentil-jaggery mixture before adding coconut milk.
- The quantity of jaggery here is for a mildly sweetened payasam. Those who prefer more sweetness in their payasam can add a little more jaggery
- The most important thing is the coconut milk. Adequate care should be taken not to curdle the milk.
- REHEATING: Do not reheat the payasam directly on stove as it may curdle or the lentil would get burnt at the bottom. Heat slightly in microwave or Boil water in a vessel and place a steel bowl of payasam to heat up.
Wait..Wait…
This is not as complicated as the points mentioned above! But actually, just take care of the coconut milk alone.
If one notices, I have emphasised a bit too much on water. It is just to say that one need not panic if lentil has less water or more water. Add more water wherever needed and incase of excess water, boil it to bring to required consistency. Just one thing to remember, all alterations of boiling should be before coconut milk is added.
If lentil is overcooked, not to worry. This payasam tastes good with overcooked lentil too! Personally to me, doesn’t make big difference. The taste of coconut milk with jaggery takes care of everything.
One last thing….
Forgot to reduce water before adding coconut milk…… not to worry again! Instead of a bowl, serve in a tumbler/glass as we do at home in Tamilnadu!!
Dosaikal 