Make payasams with apples, bananas, dry fruits, carrots and the like
Apple Payasam
Ingredients:
Ripe, sweet apples, peeled - 4 cups, small cubes
Butter - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2 litres
Sweetened condensed milk - 400 ml (1 tin)
Almond slivers - 4 tbsp
Method:
In a deep pan, sauté the apple cubes in butter for a minute. Do so over a low flame. Pour in the milk. When it simmers for a couple of minutes, add the sweetened condensed milk. When it bubbles forth, pour into serving bowls. Garnish with almond slivers. Serve hot!
Banana Payasam
Ingredients:
Kadali pazham - 4 cups, sliced into medium rounds
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Boiled water - 1 cup
Jaggery syrup - 4 cups (recipe given below)
First and second extracts of 2 small coconuts.
(First extract of coconut milk - 3 cups
Second extract of coconut milk - 2-3 cups)
Thenga kothu / coconut slivers - 1/2 cup, roasted to golden colour in two tbsp ghee.
Method:
In a pan, add the ghee. When the ghee warms, add the kadali pazham. Sauté for 2 minutes over low heat. Add a cupful of jaggery syrup. When it starts to boil, add the second extract of coconut milk. Stir well. Now, add the rest of the jaggery syrup. (Check to adjust the sweetness to your taste.) When the mixture bubbles, add the first extract of coconut milk (Thalapaal). Stir over low heat. Remove from flame. Pour into a serving dish. Add roasted coconut slivers fried lightly in ghee.
Carrot Payasam
Ingredients:
Carrot - 4 cups, grated
Milk - 2 litres
Sweetened condensed milk - 400 ml, 1 tin
Sugar – half cup
Roasted cashew nuts - 8 tbsp, roasted in 2 tbsp ghee
Saffron strands - 3 pinches
Method:
Boil the grated carrot in a mixture of 2 cups water and 1 cup milk. When the carrot is cooked, add the remaining milk over minimal flame. When the milk bubbles, add the sweetened condensed milk. Stir well. Let it simmer for a minute. Pour into serving bowls. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and saffron. Serve warm.
Pineapple Payasam
Ingredients:
Sweet pineapple - 5 cups, small cubes
Slightly thick jaggery syrup – Four and a half cups
Boiled water - 1 cup
Thick coconut milk - 4 cups, extracted from two small-sized coconuts
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Method:
In a deep pan, boil the pineapple in water. When the fruit wilts, add a cupful of jaggery syrup. When the pineapple pieces are firm and cooked, add the remaining jaggery syrup. When well combined, over low flame, stir in the coconut milk. Add the cardamom flavouring. Remove from flame. Pour into a serving dish. Serve hot.
Oats Payasam
Ingredients:
Oats - 2 cups
Sugar – quarter cup
Boiled water - 3 cups
Sago - 1 cup
Milk - 2 litres
Sweetened condensed milk - 400 ml or a single tin
Pistachios, badam - 4 tbsp, chopped
Method:
Soak the sago for a couple of hours and boil till cooked. Boil the oats and sugar in the water until the oats turn soft. Stir in the milk and sago. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat. Swirl in the condensed milk. Simmer until just heated. Stir well. Pour into small serving bowls and decorate with pistachios and badam. Serve warm.
Mango Payasam
Ingredients:
Sweet mango cubes - 5 cups
Thick jaggery syrup - 4 cups
Thick coconut milk - 3 cups
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp, broken, roasted in 1 tbsp ghee
Method:
In a deep pan, boil the mango cubes in one cup of jaggery syrup and one cup water. Stir well. When the mango cubes are cooked, add the remaining jaggery syrup. Stir in the coconut milk. When heated through, remove from flame. Pour into serving bowl or into individual glasses. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts. Serve hot.
To make jaggery syrup
Jaggery - 2-3 kgs
Water - Two and a half cups
Method:
Place the jaggery balls in a vessel. Add water and boil till the jaggery melts completely. Minimise the heat. Simmer for five minutes. Remove from flame. Let the liquid jaggery cool completely. Filter using a metal strainer. Discard the mud and sediment. Pour into bottles. Store in the lower rack of the fridge. Your jaggery syrup is ready for use.
Serves - 8
