Cherupayar Payasam - Happy Vishu....!!

Ingredients:

• Cherupayar parippu (Splitted moong dal) 1 cup
  
• Melted Jaggery 1 1/4 to 1 1 /2 cup
  
• Coconut milk thick (Onnam pal) 1/2 cup
  
• Coconut milk semi thick (Randam pal) 1 cup
  
• Coconut milk thin (Moonnam pal)1 1/2 cup
  
• Cardamom pdr 1 to 2 pinch
  
• Cumin pdr roasted 1 to 2 pinch
  
• Chukku podi (dry ginger) 1 pinch
  
• Coconut pieces 1 to 2 tbsp
  
• Cashew nuts few
  
• Raisin few
• Ghee as rqrd
  
• Water as rqrd
  
• Salt a pinch.
  

Roast the splitted moong dal in a kadai without changing its colour. After cooling it well, wash it and pressure cook it. Melt jaggery and filter it. Keep it aside. Grind  coconut and extract the required amount of coconut milk. Roast the cumin seeds and powder it.

Heat ghee in an uruli or any other thick bottomed vessel and add the above cooked dal and stir it well using a big spoon (chattukam). After that pour the melted jaggery into the dal and mix till it combines well. Make it into a thick form (nannayi kurukki pattichedukkuka) without letting it stick to the bottom.

To the dal, add the thin coconut milk (moonam pal) and boil it well (kurukki edukkuka). Then add the semi thick coconut milk (randam pal) and again boil it in low flame. Finally add the thick milk (onnam pal) along with cardamom pdr, roasted cumin pdr and chukku podi. Do not boil after adding the thick milk. Mix it and remove it from the fire. 

Fry the splitted cashews and raisins in 1 tbsp of ghee and pour it into the payasam. Fry the small coconut pieces (thenga kothu) in this same ghee till it turns golden colour and add it to the payasam.

[Recipe Courtesy: My Mom]