Paal Vazhakka ~ Malabar Plantain Sago Dessert {Version 2}

Isn’t it such a relief to see a white colored post after an overdose of brown posts in the past month? 😀 At least, I am feeling so much relief to see a change. Hehe… Another year has started, and we inch closer to our end in this world… Does anybody think of it that way? We celebrate each year with so much aplomb, not realizing that every moment that goes by means that we are losing a chance to better ourselves. There is so much that can be written with this regard. But seriously, I am in no mood to write. My head is buzzing with so much that I am feeling tired. I don’t know if it is good or bad… 🙂 I will leave it at that and move on to the post for the day…

I have already shared a Paal Vazhakka recipe earlier, the way I had it while growing up, just like a payasam. But the one I am sharing with you is what I got to see of late. A couple of years ago, during Iftar at my cousin’s place, she had made this thick gloopy sago mix with intermittent bites of nenthrapazham (ripe plaintain), brown in color because of the jaggery. It tasted amazing, so I asked her for the recipe. While she said it, it clicked my mind that it was a thicker version of the Paal Vazhakka. I clicked a picture, saved it to my favorites on the phone and forgot about it.

Then last vacation, when we were on our way back home after a round at Calicut town, it was raining heavily and we were all starving, since the last meal we had was lunch and it was almost four hours since we hadn’t eaten anything. We thought we would stop when the rains would slow down, but it showed no respite. Finally, not being able to hear the wailing from the back seat, HD asked the driver to stop at any “thattukada” (the road side shops) so that we could have some chai and something to eat. It was already dark and the cooks were already making dinner. You can imagine the aroma of the freshly made porottas and beef roast coming from there… uff! Anyway, HD resisted temptation and came running into the car with a cup of tea and a plate of this white beauty. It was raining, so both had a little layer of fresh rain water on top too. 😀

As soon as I saw the sago pearls, I had to eat it. My girls are not fond of traditional desserts, so they just had a spoonful and were done. I sat and ate the whole plate. Despite the rain, it was really hot and I almost burned my tongue. But on that cold evening, having a plate of this was bliss! I wanted a second serving but they had already run out of it. 🙁 After coming back, I just wanted to eat this one evening. I got making it, and was just glad that it tasted as good as what I had eaten. Always use the large sago for this pudding, so that you can see the beautiful transparent balls. The plantains needs to be ripe but firm. And yes, do not miss the tempering of the shallots, cashews and raisins. It just makes it taste even more amazing! It is a very easy dessert, but needs a little cooking time and is really comforting on a cold evening. Off to the recipe…

5 from 1 vote

Paal Vazhakka ~ Malabar Plantain Sago Dessert {Version 2}

Course Sweet

Cuisine Malabar

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rafeeda

Ingredients

• 100 gm large sago pearls
• 2 cups thin coconut milk
• 3 medium sized ripe plantains nenthrapazham, chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• FOR TEMPERING:
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 3-4 pearl onions cheriyulli, thinly sliced
• 5-8 cashews chopped
• 10-15 raisins

Instructions

• Soak the sago pearls in water for an hour or till totally plump. Wash once and drain.
• Mix into the thin coconut milk and bring the mixture to cook. Cook on lowest flame with lid on, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Halfway, add plantains, cardamom, sugar and salt and continue to cook till the sago looks all fluffed up and transparent. Add in some water only if the mixture looks too dry.
• Once the sago looks completely cooked, add in the thick coconut milk and give a good mix. Switch off.
• Heat ghee in a small saucepan. Fry the pearl onions till golden brown. Quickly fry the cashews and raisins and pour the mixture into the prepared paal vazhakka. Close the lid and keep covered for five minutes.
• Mix well and serve warm as side for tea or as dessert or even breakfast!

Notes

You can replace the sugar with jaggery. Add the same quantity of grated jaggery.