പരിപ്പു പായസം

If you want to get that deep brown parippu payasam, this is the recipe for you. To get that deep brown color, the tip is to add very less, 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 said, " 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 have 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( channel dal needs more cooking time)
2. 1 cup water
3. 125 gms shaved jaggery boiled in  1 cup water to make jaggery syrup
4. 1/2 cup coconut milk squeezed from 1/2 cup shredded coconut using 1/2 cup water (squeezed twice)
5. 1/4 tsp salt
6. 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 
7. 1/4 tsp 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: This is a lazy version, wherein I do not cook the dal with ghee, jaggery, and coconut milk for a long time and reduce it.

•  If using sago, soak the sago in 1/4 of water overnight.
• Soak the dal overnight or for at least 30 minutes.
• Put the dal, salt, and water in a pressure cooker and cook for 3 whistles on high. Let the pressure release naturally after 3 whistles, and put it on low for 10 minutes for channa dal.
  
• Mash the dal using a masher. Don't mash into a fine pulp. Leave bits and pieces of the dal. Add the jaggery syrup, cardamom powder, ginger powder, and cumin powder. Turn on the stove on medium-high. Bring it to a boil. 

       

       

       

• If using sago, add a little coconut milk to the sago, add it to the payasam, and bring the mixture to a boil.
                             

• Turn off the stove. Add in the coconut milk all at once and turn off the stove. Taste and see, and add sugar if required. 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

• While tasting, if you can taste sufficient sweetness but it's not balanced, add a slight pinch of salt.
• 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. Also, there is no harm in using ghee. A little bit of ghee enhances the taste of the dish. Also, ghee 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 by 1/4 cup.
• 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. 
• If using cherupayar parippu, reduce the amount by 1 Tbsp. When compared to the other days. Cherupayar parippu payasam produces a more gooey texture when compared to other dals.
• Once, there was no cardamom; 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.