For Malayalis, no celebration is complete without payasam. While classics such as ada pradhaman, palpayasam and neypayasam retain their old-world glory, ‘fusion’ varieties, too, are gaining popularity in these days of culinary adventure. TNIE reporter Arya U R brings some festive delights after a sweet discussion with some home chefs and recipe creators.
Green peas flurry
Teena has a unique knack to conjure interesting recipes with almost anything available in the kitchen. The green peas payasam was an outcome of one such experiment, and her “passion” for desserts.
Ingredients
Method
Cook the green peas in a pressure cooker and make a purée. Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and saute the puree. Add sugar and stir for 2-3 minutes on low flame. Then pour milk or coconut milk, and let the payasam simmer till it thickens. When milk is reduced to half, add cardamom powder and roasted raisins and cashews. Serve with a dollop of ghee.
Shallots, green papaya combo
Shallots and papaya give a pleasant twist to the traditional payasam recipe. It is one of Swapana’s signature recipes. She says the payasam is easy to make even for bachelors.
Ingredients
Method
Take a handful of shallots neatly cleaned and grated green papaya. The shallots need to be soaked in hot water for a while. In an uruli or hot pan, saute half of the sliced shallots in ghee and then add grated green papaya. Add jaggery syrup to the pan and mix well. As coconut milk nullifies the flavour of shallots, replace that with condensed milk diluted in hot water. Cook some sago pearls and add them to the shallot-papaya mix, and stir well.
Pavakka punch
Yes, that’s bitter gourd payasam. Swapna says this Pavakka payasam will transform the taste of these creeper vegetables. Bitter gourd is rich in dietary fibre, Vitamin C and beta carotene and is a perfect solution if you are looking for something wacky on your Onam menu.
Ingredients
Method
Chop and cook bitter gourd in boiling water. Squeeze the water out and saute in ghee. Pour jaggery syrup and cook well for about an hour. Mix condensed milk in hot water and add to the bitter gourd-jaggery mix. In medium flame, stir well till the mix gets payasam consistency. Add the cooked sago pearls and garnish with cashew, raisins and coconut slices fried in ghee.
Quinoa connect
Payasam and diabetics don’t share a great relationship. However, quinoa payasam is a healthy alternative for those with a sweet tooth. Teena says, different kinds of millet, including foxtail, can be used to prepare the payasam. Quinoa is said to help keep blood sugar and cholesterol levels under check, and is filled with antioxidants. The preparation is similar to paladapradhaman. “You just have to replace ada with quinoa,” says Teena.
Ingredients
Method
Wash and soak quinoa for about 10 minutes. Cook it in a pressure-cooker for up to two whistles. Mix a litre of milk and let to boil. Add grated jaggery or sugar alternatives, and cardamom powder. Let it simmer. Once the milk reduces to half, add cashew nuts and raisins roasted in ghee.
‘Jack’ of payasams
The pandemic saw the humble jackfruit becoming a sensation in Kerala. Videos of jackfruit experiments, including milkshakes, went viral. So, why not give Onam, too, a jackfruit punch?
Ingredients
Method
Cut the jackfruit into small pieces. Take a handful or more and grind into a paste and keep it aside. Put the rest of the jackfruit in a hot pan and roast in ghee. Add the jackfruit paste and stir well. Add sugar and milk, and let it boil. Later, add condensed milk and cardamom powder to taste. Garnish with roasted dry fruits and serve hot.
Orange twist
Why not give payasam a citrus twist? Shabna says she came up with payasam specially for children. “It is also a traditional Bengali dessert and rich in Vitamin C ,”
she adds.
Ingredients
Method
In a hot pan, simmer two litres of milk. When it reduces to half, add some crushed saffron, cardamom powder and sugar. Stir well and take off the heat. Add the peeled orange pieces and mix. Garnish with dry fruits.
Payasam spots in the city