Paruppu Payasam is a house favorite. This is my husbands favorite payasam. Coconut milk, lentils and the very mild flavor of cardamom and ghee makes the payasam sublime. Its a very traditional recipe and here is how to do it.
Wash the moong dal. Take a bowl and add in the washed 1/3 cup moong dal and 1 cup water. I like to cook the moong dal in the pressure cooker. The important thing for paruppu payasam is the texture of the lentil. It should not be very mushy. So the water quantity needs to be appropriate. For one part of lentil, use three parts of water. I use pot in pot technique to avoid the cooker from spewing water while cooking. Take a pressure cooker and add in a cup of water. Then place the lentil bowl with water into the pressure cooker. Cover the cooker and cook for 3 whistles on medium flame. It will take about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and wait for the pressure from the cooker to release naturally. Set aside.
Take a pan and add in half a cup of jaggery and half a cup of water. Wait for it to melt completely.
Take a small mixie jar and grind 3 pods cardamom with 2 tablespoon of sugar to a powder. Add it to the pan. Let it simmer for couple of minutes.
Remove from heat and strain the mixture.
Add the strained jaggery liquid back to the pan. Add in the cooked dal, little salt and the thick coconut milk. Keep the flame of the stove at low. Simmer the payasam briefly for two minutes. Do not bring it to a boil. Remove the payasam from heat. Set aside. The payasam should still have a little texture from the lentils. The lentils should not be mushy. Here is how to do coconut milk at home. Canned coconut milk can be used for this recipe if you are in a hurry.
Take a small pan and add in two teaspoons of ghee. Add in the cashews and fry till brown. Add it to the payasam.
Serve warm.
For cooking dal
- 1/3 cup split yellow moong dal
- 1 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 1/2 cup jaggery
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cardamom
- 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
- 2 pinches salt
Final Tempering
- 2 teaspoon ghee
- 15 cashewnuts
- Wash the moong dal. Cook the dal with water for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker. Set aside.
- Take a pan and add in half a cup of jaggery and half a cup of water. Wait for it to melt completely.
- Take a small mixie jar and grind 3 pods cardamom with 2 tablespoon of sugar to a powder. Add it to the pan. Let it simmer for couple of minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain the mixture.
- Add the strained jaggery liquid back to the pan. Add in the cooked dal, little salt and the thick coconut milk. Keep the flame of the stove at low. Simmer the payasam briefly for two minutes. Do not bring it to a boil. Remove the payasam from heat. Set aside.
- Take a small pan and add in two teaspoons of ghee. Add in the cashews and fry till brown. Add it to the payasam.
- Serve warm.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
For cooking dal
- 1/3 cup split yellow moong dal
- 1 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 1/2 cup jaggery
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cardamom
- 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
- 2 pinches salt
Final Tempering
- 2 teaspoon ghee
- 15 cashewnuts
- Wash the moong dal. Cook the dal with water for 3 whistles in a pressure cooker. Set aside.
- Take a pan and add in half a cup of jaggery and half a cup of water. Wait for it to melt completely.
- Take a small mixie jar and grind 3 pods cardamom with 2 tablespoon of sugar to a powder. Add it to the pan. Let it simmer for couple of minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain the mixture.
- Add the strained jaggery liquid back to the pan. Add in the cooked dal, little salt and the thick coconut milk. Keep the flame of the stove at low. Simmer the payasam briefly for two minutes. Do not bring it to a boil. Remove the payasam from heat. Set aside.
- Take a small pan and add in two teaspoons of ghee. Add in the cashews and fry till brown. Add it to the payasam.
- Serve warm.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/paruppu-payasam-moong-dal-payasam-lentil-payasam-recipe/
Sodhi is the Tirunelveli version of a vegetable stew. The addition of lentils and drumstick makes this sodhi a sublime side dish. Its served with rice at weddings. Its also called as Maapillai Sodhi. Maapillai means groom. This is one of the dishes that’s made for the feast after wedding in the Tirunelveli region. I got this recipe from Thivya, my classmate in post graduation. Thivya was a very very studious girl in college . She was a 9+ grader. She used to ace her papers while we were lost deep in the question papers trying to understand what was asked. There used to be a great professor called Kannan who taught us finance. We had weekly tests and we would get a decent score if it was a closed book test. Whenever there was an open book test, we all would flunk. Except one person. Yes. That’s our Thivya Subbukutty! We were scared of open book tests. No one knew from where the questions were asked. There is a general belief in Tamilnadu that eating ladies finger will make you intelligent in math. Forget ladies finger. Go make Sodhi. This is a time tested delicious route for acing tests. Thivya’s secret is out today! She is from Tirunelveli and this is her moms recipe for Sodhi. Here is the recipe for appam Here is the recipe for idiyappam
Please Note: This is a family recipe. People might say garlic is never added in sodhi. Shallots and never onions are added in Sodhi etc….This is my food, my friends and family way!
There are a few prep steps involved in this recipe. Cook the moong dal in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Wait for the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.
Cook the veggies with salt and water for 1 whistle, about 5 minutes in the pressure cooker. Wait for the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.
Make a paste with water, ginger and green chillies. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cashewnuts and chopped garlic. Fry briefly until the mustard seeds pop. Add in the sliced onions and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add in the second and third coconut milk, cooked dal and the ground paste. Add in the salt. Let it come to a boil. Here is how to do coconut milk at home. See notes section below on how to substitute canned coconut milk.
Once the dal comes to a boil, add in the veggies. Add in the first pressed coconut milk. First coconut milk is very thick. After adding the first coconut milk, do not boil for a long time.
Let it simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame and let it cool for 10 minutes. Add in juice of a lime and mix well. Do not add lime when the mixture is boiling. The sodhi will become bitter.
Serve with appam or idiyappam. It goes well with rice too!
For Cooking Dal
- 1/4 cup split yellow moong dal
- 3/4 cup water
Cooking Veggies
- 1 potato, diced
- 1 medium size carrot, diced
- 10 beans, chopped
- 1/4 cup green peas
- 1 drumstick, chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water
Paste
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 inch piece ginger
- 5 green chillies
Other Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 5 cashewnuts
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Juice of a lime (About 3 teaspoon)
Coconut milk
- Coconut milk taken from half a coconut
- 1/2 cup first pressed milk
- 1/2 cup second pressed milk
- 1/3 cup third pressed milk
- Cook the moong dal in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Wait for the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.
- Cook the veggies with salt and water for 1 whistle, about 5 minutes in the pressure cooker. Wait for the pressure to settle naturally. Set aside.
- Make a paste with water, ginger and green chillies. Set aside.
- Heat coconut oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cashewnuts and chopped garlic. Fry briefly until the mustard seeds pop. Add in the sliced onions and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the second and third coconut milk, cooked dal and the ground paste. Add in the salt. Let it come to a boil.
- Once the dal comes to a boil, add in the veggies. Add in the first pressed coconut milk. First coconut milk is very thick. After adding the first coconut milk, do not boil for a long time.
- Let it simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame and let it cool for 10 minutes. Add in juice of a lime and mix well.
- Serve with appam or idiyappam. It goes well with rice too!
Notes
Substituting canned coconut milk If using canned coconut milk, add the milk at last. Add 1/2 cup water instead of second and third pressed milk. Use 3/4 cup of canned coconut milk in the place of first pressed coconut milk.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
