Nenthrapazham Pradhaman ~ Plaintain Jaggery Dessert

It is so rare that two festivals coincide together. Eid and Onam have come one after the other back home. While I was returning back from home, all outlets had boards on “Bakreedashamsakal, Onashamsagal” (Eid Wishes, Onam Wishes). For me, Onam is all about the sadya. I wait for a chance to eat the lavish meal on the leaf, where you get to eat so many varieties of food at the same time. Despite being fully vegetarian, it is a play on your taste buds and will leave you full to the brim and ready to doze off! 😀 Here is a very interesting link I found this time, makes a wonderful read and has some basic knowledge of how to lay the leaf, how to put which dish where, etc…. hopefully something that will help me later when I have the courage to make a whole sadya all by myself. 😉

I have a soft corner for pradhamans over payasams. I have already explained the difference between the two in this Kadala Parippu (chickpea lentil) Pradhaman post. The other pradhaman that I love and has appeared on the blog is this one with cherupayar parippu (gram lentil). This doesn’t mean that pradhaman is only made with lentils! It is made with sturdy fruits as well – just like plantains, like I am sharing with you today. Unlike the lentil pradhamans, ones with fruits tend to be slightly more sweeter, so I prefer to have them at room temperature. I have noticed that when you have it immediately, it is too sweet to my liking, but as it sits, the sweetness of the fruit and the jaggery balances out and gives the correct sweetness. I don’t know if it is only for me. 🙂 I never heard of pazham pradhaman till I saw it once on television show, and then on Rekha’s space. Nenthrapazham is something that is always available at home, so it wasn’t difficult to make this for our weekend dessert. It was relished by the kids and adults alike. Like I said, I kept a small portion aside and had it at night, and then I felt the sweetness was correct. You may reduce the jaggery but I feel then in time, it would be less sweet, so I don’t recommend it. All in all, I feel it is a healthy way of having a sweet treat, just when you need it! 🙂 Off to the recipe…

5 from 1 vote

Nenthrapazham Pradhaman ~ Plaintain Jaggery Dessert

Course Dessert

Cuisine Kerala

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 2 large ripe plaintains
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 10 cashewnuts
• 15-20 raisins
• 200 gm jaggery
• 1 1/2 cup thin coconut milk
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• A pinch of salt

Instructions

• Boil the plaintains till soft. Peel the skin and mash the plaintains.
• Melt the jaggery with a couple of tablespoons of water. Drain and reserve.
• Heat the ghee and fry the cashewnuts and raisins. Drain and set aside.
• Add the melted jaggery and boil till slightly thickened.
• Add the mashed plaintain and keep whisking till smooth.
• Add in the thin coconut milk and cook on simmer till the pradhaman thickens.
• Add the thick coconut milk and just simmer till warm.
• Add the cardamom and salt and mix well. Add the fried cashewnuts and raisins back.
• Serve warm.

Notes

Skip the ghee to make the dessert vegan.