Wednesday 15 April 2015

Cherupazham payasam | Kheer made with banana, jaggery and coconut milk

HAPPY VISHU !!!

Well this year I am celebrating Vishu on a happy note. My blog statistics is better than last year. Last year I posted a total of 22 recipes only and this year by Vishu time I am already at 29!!!. Wouldn't this account for a good improvement?

Vishu is a spring festival in Kerala. It falls on the first day of the month Medam. The most important event in Vishu is the Vishukkani, which literally means "the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after waking up". The Vishukkani consists of a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles intended to signify prosperity, including rice, fruits and vegetables, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, yellow flowers called konna (Cassia fistula), holy texts and coins, usually in the prayer room of the house. This is arranged the night before Vishu and is the first sight seen on Vishu.





Generally pazham payasam is made with nenthram pazham. But this time I had a lot of this cherupazham or poovan pazham or anipoovan as it is called in malayalam. It tastes very similar to the elakki banana which we get in karnataka.

Ingredients:

Cheru Pazham – 8, ripe
Thin Coconut Milk – 1 1/2  cups
Thick Coconut Milk – 1/2 cup
Powdered Jaggery – 1 cup
Cocount – ¼ cup, cut into small pieces
Ghee – 1 tbs
cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
dry ginger powder - 1/2 tsp


Method:


  • Deskin the bananas and make them into a smooth pulp in a mixer, do not add any water while grinding.
  • Heat a thick bottom Kadai, add the jaggery with ½ cup of water. Dissolve the jaggery completely.
  • Strain for impurities and pour it back into the Kadai.
  • Add the pazham pulp and mix well. Stir it well and mash with the back of the spatula if you find any lumps.
  • Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring continuously, till the banana and jaggery mixture come together as a mass.
  • Now add the thin coconut milk and cook on medium flame for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
  • Turn of flame and add the Thick coconut milk. Mix well.
  • Add the cardamom powder, cumin powder and dry ginger powder.
  • Heat a small frying pan with ghee, fry the coconut pieces in it till brown. Then fry the cashewnuts and raisins.
  • Add these fried coconut pieces, cashewnuts and raisins to the prepared payasam and serve warm

Here is a simple vishu sadya served today.

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