Parippu payasam is an authentic Kerala’s dessert which is widely cooked and served in festivals and many auspicious occasion. Parippu means “lentil” and payasam means “kheer (milk based pudding)” in Kerala. It is also called moong dal payasam or kheer.

What makes this payasam different from other kheer or any milk based pudding is that it is based on coconut milk and jaggery syrup. It is a vegan recipe, if you replace ghee with coconut oil.
In parippu payasam, first moong dal is cooked, then gradually simmered in jaggery syrup, thin and medium coconut milk and lastly a final flourish of thick coconut milk makes it so creamy and delicious. Cardamom and dry ginger powder aromatized the whole dish and makes it even better.

Parippu payasam is often a part of onam’s feast and traditionally, many people including my husband eat it with a special small and bright yellow colored banana popularly found in Kerala.
Jaggery is a healthy alternative for sugar, as it is unrefined and rich in some minerals, vitamins and also have some fiber. Beside the health benefits, jaggery has a very distinct flavor. Coconut milk and jaggery are like match made in heaven. The rich and creamy flavor of coconut milk is just perfect with sweet and earthy jaggery and both of this ingredients together with moong dal takes this payasam recipe up a notch.
Parippu payasam is one of my favorite Indian desserts of all time. My mom used to make this sweet delight in Onam (festival of Kerala) and in my birthday too. I used to devour the payasam and i still do 🙂 . So try out this payasam for a change, when you are in mood of having a kheer and tell me what do you think about my favorite payasam.

Parippu Payasam Recipe

Recipe by Neha NairCourse: DessertCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Another yummy Onam recipe from the state of Kerala. Parippu payasam is a pudding made from moong / mung dal, coconut milk and jaggery.

Ingredients

3/4 cup of skinless split moong dal
3-3.5 cups of thin and medium coconut milk, together (see note below)
1 and 1/3 cup of thick coconut milk
1.25 cup of dark jaggery, powdered
1 cup of water
2-3 cardamom pods, powdered
3.4 tsp of dry ginger powder
1/2 -1 Tbsp of ghee / refined butter or coconut oil
1 Tbsp of 1/8 inch of coconut pieces, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp of cashews and raisins each

Directions

Roast dal in a dry pan over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it releases toasty aroma.
Then cook the lentils in a pressure cooker over medium heat with about 1.5 cups of water for 2 whistles.
Let the cooker release the pressure by itself, then carefully open it. The lentil should be fully cooked and the water will be completely absorbed. Mash the dal a little with the back of the wooden spoon.
In a small sauce pan, boil a cup of water and add jaggery and cook until it is completely dissolved. Strain the liquid to separate impurities.
Add in the jaggery syrup to the cooked dal and whisk it well.
When the lentil mixture comes to boil, pour in the thin coconut milk and cook over low-medium heat until it again comes to a boil, stirring in between.
Now add medium coconut milk and cook until the payasam has reduced and becomes slightly thick, stirring in between.
Add the thick coconut milk and simmer for 6-8 minutes over low flame. Do not boil it further.
Mean while, heat ghee or coconut oil in a wide pan and fry coconut pieces until light brown . Then add the cashews and raisins and saute until the raisins are plump and cashews are light brown.
Add the above fried coconut mixture into the payasam along with cardamom and ginger powder and mix well. Parippu payasam is done.

Notes

Serve parippu payasam hot or cold. I like it cold though.
The payasam gets thick, when it is completely cooled and even thicker, if it is refrigerated. So add little boiled milk or warm coconut milk, if it thickened.
If using canned coconut milk, you can make thin coconut milk by adding 3 cups of water into 400 ml of coconut milk.