EZ പരിപ്പു പായസം

If you want deep brown parippu payasam, this recipe is for you. The tip is to add very little but thick coconut milk toward the end.

My mother makes this payasam in a jiffy. She does not cook and reduce the dal with ghee and jaggery syrup for a long time, like traditional parippu payasam. She says, " Just pressure cook the dal, add jaggery syrup, and finish it with a splash of coconut milk." 

             I follow the same method. I like to relish this payasam for Onam, on a banana leaf,  after the sadya, mashed with cherupazham(small banana) and pappadam. This is a basic recipe without ghee. Adding ghee or cashews fried in ghee can always make it richer. I use ghee when I make it for Onam.

INGREDIENTS: makes 2 cups of payasam 

1. 1/2 cup Tuar Dal/Channa Dal/Moog Dal( channa dal needs more cooking time)
2.  water - double the amount of dal measured in cups. 
3. 125 gms shaved jaggery boiled in  1/2 cup water to make jaggery syrup
4. 1/2 cup coconut milk squeezed from 1/2 cup shredded coconut using 1/2 cup water 
5. 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt(adjust to salt)
6. 1/4 tsp cardamom powder 
7. 1/8 tsp each of cumin and ginger powder
8. 2 Tbsp. sago(optional , if using , reduce dal by 3 Tbsp)
9. 1 Tbsp. ghee(optional)
10. 2 Tbsp. Cashew nuts, broken or 2 Tbsp. thenga kothu(sliced coconut)

METHOD

• Soak the dal overnight or for at least 30 minutes. No need to soak the sago. 
• Put the washed and drained dal, salt, and water in a pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles on high. Let the pressure release naturally. For channa dal, put the flame on low and cook for 10 more minutes.

                                           

• Mash the dal using a masher. Don't mash it into a fine pulp; leave bits and pieces. Then add sago(if using, washed and drained), jaggery syrup, cardamom powder, ginger powder, and cumin powder. Turn on the stove on medium-high. Bring it to a vigorous boil and turn off. 
• There is no need to soak the sago; just wash and add it directly. Don't skip the washing part. Washing cleans and wets the sago, which makes it easy to cook.

       

       

                                                                

• While stirring the payasam, add in the coconut milk all at once. Stir for a few seconds so the coconut milk does not curdle. Take the pan off the stove. The sago will still cook in the heat retained.  You will doubt if the sago will cook well but rest assured that it will. Taste and see, and add sugar and salt as per taste. Heat a pan and fry the cashew nuts and coconut slices in ghee and garnish. (This is optional. I do this only for Onam Sadya)
• Dilute if necessary.

                                           

        

NOTES

• See here for how to make jaggery syrup.
• While tasting, if you can taste sufficient sweetness but it's not balanced, add a slight pinch of salt. Basically, season to taste. 
• I have tried not mashing the cooked dal, but  I liked the consistency of the mashed dal payasam.
• Also, be aware that adding sago will lighten the color of the payasam.
•  I add ghee only when I am making payasam for Onasadya. There is no harm in using ghee. A little bit of ghee enhances the taste of the dish. Ghee also reduces sweet cravings.
• Add 4 pitted dates while pressure cooking the dal, or add 1/4 cup mashed ripe spotted bananas to the cooked payasam. This adds color and sweetness. If doing so, reduce jaggery syrup. 
• Instead of cashew nuts, I have tried roasted mixed nuts, but cashew nuts taste better.
• You can dry roast the dal till brown, giving it a nutty flavor. Then pressure cook it. Doing it this way, you get to bite the dals a bit here and there. Dry roasting the dal, accentuates the darker color of the payasam.
• If using cherupayar parippu, reduce the amount by 1 Tbsp. When compared to the other dals. Cherupayar parippu payasam produces a more gooey texture when compared to other dals.
• Once, there were no cardamoms; instead, there was only black cardamom. Black cardamom has a slightly different taste, but it is not bad. I used the same amount as mentioned in the recipe. 
• To extract the coconut milk from 1/2 cup of coconut, I add 1/4 cup of water to it, pulse and then add the remaining 1/4 cup of water and pulse again, and then finally squeeze the milk.  It's a one-step process.