A delicious and simple payasam made with broken wheat – perfect for Onam and other celebrations…
It is not that I don’t have much to jot down. But I just don’t feel like it. The time I have come here, I have been trying to live the moment. I have been just taking in one day at a time, whether we have a chockoblock schedule or absolutely nothing except just eating and lazying around. The climate has been pretty helpful. The summers are slowly getting milder, even though on our beach weekend, the sun was really harsh and I ended up getting a bad tan. I feel that the sun here is very much similar to back home – they are really strong and always give a tan, despite the use of sunscreen. Maybe I have to just live with it… Hehe… This week there has been rains on and off and it has given a very cozy feel.
I hope that all of you have done your Muharrams fasts as well. It was on Tuesday and Wednesday over here. In most places, it is on Wednesday and Thursday. Fasting on these days are meant for forgiveness of all your minor sins over the year. Everything that you do in Islam in some form or the other will always add to your book of good deeds. The fasting on these days makes even more sense when the whole world seems to be going through a tough time thanks to relentless Covid or the political unrest in many parts of the world. All we can do is to be hopeful and make lots of duas. Hasn’t He said, “Allah doesn’t burden a soul beyond which it can bear.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, part of verse 286), Alhamdulillah…
Since Onam is around the corner, I thought that there wasn’t any better time to post this payasam I had shot and kept into my draft some time ago. I am excited about a potluck we have during this weekend and I can’t wait for it. We have volunteered to make a few dishes and mine are cabbage upperi and semiya payasam – two easy options. 😛 There are a few sadya recipes on the blog already if you would like to refer to – I am still in the process of updating the tab, so you may not necessarily find everything on the blog. Usually at the end of a sadya, there will be two sweet dishes – usually a payasam, which is sugar-milk based, and a pradhaman, which is jaggery-coconut milk based.
I have no clue why this dessert is called a payasam despite being jaggery-coconut milk based. Hehe… Whatever it is, this is one of my favorite sweet dishes after the cherupayar paradipp pradhaman. The best part about this payasam is that broken wheat is really easy and quick to cook and hence it comes together quickly. You can cook the wheat on one side, while the jaggery syrup happens on one side. I have used canned coconut milk, since it is the easiest way to make this payasam and is also readily available for all of us. Please do not forget to add as much as coconut fried bits – they just make the whole payasam so much better! HD loves this so much that any time I make it, he drinks up half of it at various intervals. Hehe… Off to this recipe…
Nurukku Gothambu Payasam | Kerala Broken Wheat Payasam
Ingredients
- 1 cup broken wheat
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 300 gm jaggery blocks
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp dry ginger powder chukku podi
- A pinch of salt
FOR TEMPERING
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 3-4 tbsp coconut bites
- 8-10 cashew nuts
- 10-15 raisins
Instructions
- Wash and drain the broken wheat.
- In a pressure cooker, heat ghee. Add the broken wheat and saute for a couple of minutes. Add three cups of water, close the cooker and cook for 5-6 whistles. Allow the pressure to go by itself.
- In a saucepan, add the jaggery with a cup of water and allow it to melt. Cook till the sauce starts turning a little syrupy.
- From the coconut milk can, reserve 1/2 cup for thick coconut milk. Add sufficient water to the rest to make it two cups.
- Add the watered down coconut milk to the jaggery syrup and bring it to a simmer, till it heats.
- Add the cooked broken wheat to this mixture and give it a good mix. Add in the spices and salt. Cook till the payasam thickens and the wheat is properly distributed.
- Add the reserved thick coconut milk, give a final stir and switch off.
- Fry the coconut bites, cashews and raisins in the ghee and dump into the payasam. Enjoy warm!
Notes