• Many names, one recipe with minor differences that’s what I’d say about this sweet dish that is offered as naivedyam. This is a famous konkani sweet dish prepared using bengal gram dal, jaggery and the goodness of coconut milk. Some add a little cooked rice, while some add sago to the payasam to give it a good consistency. Here I have added rice flour to thicken the payasam.

    • RECIPE :

    Ingredients

    • 1/4th cup bengal gram dal / chana dal
    • 1/4th cup grated jaggery OR as required depending on the sweetness of the jaggery
    • 2 cups fresh coconut milk to which 1 1/2 tbsp rice flour is added and mixed well so that there are no lumps
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A pinch of nutmeg powder
    • 20 cashewnuts
    • 1 tbsp raisins
    • 2 tsp ghee to roast the raisins and cashewnuts
    • 6 to 8 thin slices of coconut of 1″ length

    METHOD :

    • In 2 tsp ghee roast the cashews well till golden brown, transfer to a plate and lightly roast the raisins and keep aside.
    • Rinse the chana dal well and soak in water for about 5 hours. 1/4th cup chana dal after soaking gives 1/2 cup soaked dal. Cook the chana dal with 2 cups water till just done. Once you add the jaggery, it hardens a bit, hence the dal should be perfectly cooked(soft but not mushy). Add grated jaggery and let it melt on low to medium flame.
    • Add the coconut milk to which rice flour has been added and cook on low flame, stirring constantly. Let it simmer, add more jaggery only if required. Switch off the flame, add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, coconut slices, roasted cashews, raisins and mix well. Serve hot payasam with puris as an accompaniment or as is. Tastes best when served hot.

    NOTE :

    • Adding rice flour to the coconut milk prevents the coconut milk from splitting when heated.Also it gives the desired thickness to the payasam.
    • If you feel the payasam is too thick you can dilute it by adding a little coconut milk.
    • The quantity of jaggery depends on the quantity of coconut milk added as well as the water content left after cooking the dal and also on individual sweetness required. Hence adjust sweetness accordingly.