Aish Cooks

Pasiparuppu Vella Payasam / Indian Pudding with Lentils and Jaggery

Navaratri season is here… well, even if you are not going to be observing fasts or doing poojas every one of the 10 days of this festival, it sure does set the mood for the holiday season. Festive season is in full swing in most places around the world. Dusherra, Diwali are just around the corner to ring in the festivities in India; and the holiday lanes are already open and busy greeting shoppers for Halloween, Thanksgiving and even Christmas already out here in the US!

So here’s a recipe to kick-start the holidays and Day-1 of Navaratri tomorrow!

Source: Mom

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: Under 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1. Yellow Moong Dal – 1/2 cup
2. Jaggery (vellam / gud) – 3/4 cup (or to taste)
3. Milk – 1/3 cup, more if needed to get the right consistency
4. Ghee – 1.5 tbsp
5. Cashew nuts – handful, broken
6. Almonds – handful, broken/ chopped
7. Raisins – a few (1 tbsp approx.)
8. Coconut – 1/4 cup, grated/ shredded

Method:

1. Cook the dal with sufficient water (1:3 typically), mash leaving just a little bit of texture and set aside.
2. Prepare the jaggery syrup: Sprinkle some water to broken jaggery bits and place on med-heat in a pan, stirring as it begins to heat-up until all the jaggery has melted and thick enough to coat a spoon and drip down. Turn off the heat. It’s important to keep stirring so as to not let the jaggery get a burnt flavor.
3. Combine the jaggery syrup and mashed dal in a sauce pan.
4. Add the milk to the dal-jaggery mix and combine.
5. Bring to a boil and them simmer for about 10 minutes to slightly thicken the mixture and turn off the heat.
6. Heat ghee in a pan, add the broken nuts and raisins and saute on med-high until nuts are slightly golden brown and raisins plump-up.
7. Add the shredded coconut and saute for a minute and turn off the heat.
8. Add the nuts & coconut tadka to the payasam and combine.

Serve hot or cold!