Paruppu Payasam

Moong & Chana Dal — Kerala’s OG Vegan Dessert

Serves 5–6 | Prep 10 min | Cook 40 min

INGREDIENTS

Moong dal (split, skinned) 1 cup

Chana dal 1/3 cup

Water (for cooking dal) 3 1/3 cups

Sweetener & Milk

Jaggery, grated 2 cups

Water (for jaggery syrup) 2/3 cup

Thin coconut milk (2nd extract) 2 2/3 cups

Thick coconut milk (1st extract) 1 1/3 cups

Spice

Cardamom pods, crushed 5

Dry ginger powder (chukku podi) 1/3 tsp

Tempering

Coconut oil or ghee 3 tbsp

Cashews 3 tbsp

Coconut chips, thin sliced 1/3 cup

Raisins 3 tbsp

METHOD

1 Roast the dal. Dry roast moong dal and chana dal together in a heavy-bottomed pot over

low heat until fragrant and lightly golden, 4–5 min.

2 Cook the dal. Add water and pressure cook (3–4 whistles) or simmer until completely

soft and mashable.

3 Make jaggery syrup. Melt jaggery with water over medium heat until dissolved. Strain

out any grit. Watch closely — jaggery burns fast.

4 Combine. Add strained jaggery syrup to the cooked dal. Mix well, simmer on low for 5

min.

5 Add thin coconut milk. Pour in the thin coconut milk, simmer on low 6–8 min, stirring

gently, until slightly thickened.6 Finish. Turn off heat completely. Stir in thick coconut milk, cardamom, and dry ginger

powder. Never boil after this — it will split.

7 Tempering. Heat oil/ghee, fry cashews golden, add coconut chips until crisp, then raisins

until they puff. Pour the whole tempering over the payasam.

Note: Serve warm or at room temperature, never chilled — cold dulls the coconut milk. Leftovers thicken in the fridge; loosen

Posted in BreakFast