Paruppu Payasam (Moong Dal Payasam)
Paruppu payasam is a traditional South Indian dessert made with cooked moong dal, jaggery, and coconut milk. It is flavoured with cardamom and garnished with ghee-friedcashews and raisins.
Ingredients
- ½ cup 100g Moong dal (paasi paruppu)
- 1 cup 150g Jaggery (powdered or grated) (adjust sweetness)
- 1 ½ cups Water for cooking dal
- ¼ cup Water for melting the jaggery
- ¾ cup to 1cup Thin coconut milk adjust based on the consistency
- ½ cup Thick coconut milk
- ½ tsp Cardamom powder
- ⅛ tsp Dry ginger powder optional
Tempering
- 2-3 tbsp Ghee
- 1 tbsp sliced coconut pieces optional
- 8-10 Cashew nuts broken
- 1 ½ tbsp Raisins
Instructions
Roast & cook the dal
- Dry-roast moong dal on low flame until aromatic and lightly golden.½ cup 100g Moong dal (paasi paruppu)
- Wash and pressure cook with 1 ½ cups water for 3 whistles. Mash little.1 ½ cups Water
Prepare jaggery syrup
- Heat jaggery with ¼ cup water until dissolved.1 cup 150g Jaggery (powdered or grated) (adjust sweetness), 1/4 cup Water
- Strain to remove impurities.
Combine dal & jaggery
- Add jaggery syrup to cooked dal.
- Simmer until slightly thickened, stirring well in between.
- Add cardamom powder and dry ginger powder.½ tsp Cardamom powder, 1/8 tsp Dry ginger powder
Add coconut milk
- Pour in the thin coconut milk, mixing continuously.¾ cup to 1cup Thin coconut milk
- Boil on medium flame for 5 minutes until raw smell disappears.
- Lower the flame and add the thick coconut milk
- Add the thick coconut milk and mix gently.½ cup Thick coconut milk
- Do not boil after this step.
Tempering
- Heat ghee, fry the coconut pieces until golden brown.2-3 tbsp Ghee, 1 tbsp sliced coconut pieces
- Add the cashews till golden, add raisins till puffed.8-10 Cashew nuts, 1 ½ tbsp Raisins
- Pour over the payasam and mix.
- Payasam thickens as it cools.
- Add a little warm thin coconut milk or milk if needed.
Notes
Always add thick coconut milk at the end to prevent curdling. Always keep the flame low after adding thick coconut milk. Adjust slightly if you prefer a thinner or richer payasam.
This recipe is made with just the right amount of sweetness, allowing the natural flavours of moong dal and coconut milk to shine through. If you prefer a sweeter payasam, simply increase the quantity of jaggery powder according to your taste.