Dal Payasam

I am right now officially enjoying my month long vacation !!!

I was completely buried with my finals and project for the past three weeks that I almost didn't notice  Onam was near...by then there was no time to prepare anything special...


But how can I pass Onam without even a payasam....and thats when I decided to make Dal payasam :)

Dal payasam is made by combining cooked dal with melted jaggery and coconut milk, which is then flavored with spices...
Dal can be cooked in boiling water...but cooking using pressure cooker is much faster.
If planning to cook without pressure cooker make sure to sock the dal in water for several hours. This helps to cook dal faster.

Recipe:

----------

1. Split moong dal       -  1 cup
2. Jaggery                 -   2 cups
3. Cardamom             -   few pods crushed/ powdered
4. Thin coconut milk     -  1 1/2 cup
5. Thick coconut milk    -  1/2 cup
6. Cashew nut             -  few, slightly fried in ghee. (golden raisins, dried coconut pieces can be added  )
7. Ghee                      -  as required. 

1. Slightly roast moong dal on high heat for 2-3 min.
2. Pressure cook moong dal with 3 cup of water.
3. Meanwhile melt jaggery with little water in a saucepan on medium heat.
4. Strain the melted jaggery to remove any residue.
5. Once the dal is cooked well, mash it.
6. Heat ghee, add the mashed dal, melted jaggery, stir and mix well 
7. Add thin coconut milk and stir in a constant direction for sometime in a medium low heat.
8. When it gets thick, add the crushed cardamom, thick coconut milk. Combine well and take off from heat.

One of my favorite ways to eat dal payasam is with ripe bananas....:)