Adding a Twist to Payasam

This Onam, give a break to the regular payasams and try these lip-smacking variants

Karikku/Tender coconut Payasam

Ingredients

• Tender coconut pulp - scraped from         shells of two tender coconuts
• Jaggery - 1 cup
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 5 tbsp
• Rice flour - 1 tsp
• Raisins - 10 nos
• Cashew nuts - 5 nos
• Coconut milk - 3 cups
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Coconut pieces - 10 nos

Method

In a pan, add jaggery and water. Then heat it until it turns to a liquid form. Strain it and keep aside. Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp of ghee. Add tender coconut pulp and stir for 5 minutes. Add the thick jaggery syrup and stir for 8 minutes. When jaggery blends well with the tender coconut, add 1 cup of coconut milk and stir well. For thick consistency, add rice flour mixed in little cold coconut milk through a sieve and stir well. Continue stirring and when it boils add 2 cups of coconut milk. Cook it for 5 minutes on medium heat and stir continuously. Then add cardamom powder and stir well. In another pan heat 3 tsp of ghee and add the coconut pieces, cashews and saute well. When it turns a light brown, add raisins and saute for 2 minutes. Remove from flame and add roasted cashew nuts, raisins and coconuts pieces.

Aval Payasam

Ingredients

• Aval/Poha - 1/3 CUP
• Milk - 2 cups
• Jaggery - 1/2 TO 3/4 CUP
• Ghee - 2 TSP
• Cashew nuts - few
• Cardamon powder - a pinch

Method

In a pan add ghee and roast the cashews till golden brown and keep it aside. Add the aval in the same pan and dry roast this till golden brown.

Allow this to cool. Add 2 cups of milk to this and start boiling this. Let the milk boil and after sometime keep the flame low and stir in between. In a pan add jaggery and add 1/4 cup of water. Melt the jaggery.

Filter the impurities and boil it for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame.

 Let both the milk mixture and jaggery cool. Mix them both and add in cardamom powder and cashew nuts.

Oats Payasam

Ingredients

• Oats  2-3 tbsp
•  Coconut freshly grated - 1/2Cup
• Sugar - 1/2Cup
• Ghee - 1/2tbsp
• Chopped cashew nuts - 1tblspoon
• Raisins - 1tbsp
• Milk - 2Cup
• Water - 1/2Cup
• Cardamom powder - 1/4tsp

Method

Heat ghee in a thick bottom vessel. When it gets hot, add cashew nuts and raisins. Fry them until the raisins get puffed up and cashew nuts become slightly golden in color.

Add oats, freshly grated coconut and mix well. Add milk, water and cook until the oats are done. Add sugar, mix and if required add little water to get the desired consistency.

Add cardamom powder, mix and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Turn the flame off, dish out the payasam and garnish with nuts.

Mathanga/Pumpkin Payasam

Ingredients

• Pumpkin cubes (skinned &     deseeded) - 2 cups
• Jaggery syrup - 3/4 cup
• Thin coconut milk - 2 cups
• Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
• Cardamoms crushed - 2
• Ghee - 2 tsps
• For Garnishing
• Coconut pieces - 2 tsps
• Cashews and raisins - 2 tsps
• Ghee for frying

Method

Cook the pumpkins in water and blend into a smooth paste. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel and fry the pumpkin paste for about 5-10 minutes on medium flame. Mix in the jaggery syrup and keep on stirring until the jageery syrup blends well with the mix. Pour the thin coconut milk and continue stirring. Add in the cardamom. When the milk strts thickening, pour in the thick milk and when it is on the verge of boiling, turn off the flame. Fry out the coconut pieces in ghee along with the raisins and cashews and garnish the payasam.