Dates Pradhaman

Here comes an easy pradhaman from Amma for everyone planning to celebrate Onam. Not many ingredients are necessary for this paayasam and it tastes like parippu pradhaman.

Ingredients:

1 cup dates cleaned and soaked in 1 cup water

3 tbsp ghee

1 cup thick coconut milk

1 cup thin coconut milk

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

10 cashews split

Method:

1. Grind the dates along with the water.

2.Heat ghee in a pan and add the dates paste. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes till the paste becomes thick and ghee separates out.

3.Add the thin coconut milk.Cook for 5 minutes.

4.Mix the cardamom powder in the thick coconut milk and add it into the pan.

5.Switch off the flame as soon as the pradhaman starts to boil.

6.Garnish with fried cashews.

PS: Add more coconut milk if you feel that the paayasam is too thick.Add melted jaggery if you feel the paayasam isnt sweet enough.

Aval Vilayichathu

Aval/Poha/Beaten rice caremelised in jaggery is a delicious and easy to make sweet. Avil Vilayichathu is served as prasadam in temples.

Ingredients:

1 cup Aval

1/4 cup jaggery

1 banana chopped

1 tbsp ghee

1/4 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1/4 cup grated coconut

4 tbsp water

Method:

1.Add ghee,jaggery and water to a pan and melt the jaggery.

2.Add banana and saute.Add coconut and saute well.

3.Add aval and mix well.Switch off the flame.

4.Add the cumin powder and cardamom powder.

Unnakai

Unnakai is a very delicious sweet made in malabar muslim households. During fast breaking or ifthaar unnakai is a must.

Ripe plantain is the main ingredient in this sweet. The recipe that follows is not the authentic one. This variation of the sweet was born after amma's improvisation.

Ingredients:

1.2 ripe plantains

2.half cup coconut

3.2 spoons ghee

4.half spoon cardamom powder

5.one egg white

6.bread crumbs to coat

7.oil to fry

Preparation:

1.Steam the plantain.

2.Add ghee to non stick pan. Add the coconut to hot ghee and saute it for one minute and switch off the flame.

3.Add peeled-cooked-mashed plantain and cardamom powder. If the plantain is not sweet add sugar at this stage.

4.Make small balls of this mixture and dip it in beaten egg white and then in breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil till golden brown.

Paal Paayasam

Paal paayasam is the all time favorite sweet of Kerala . It is considered so wonderful that its offered to God in temples. Ambalapuzha temple is known for the delicious paal payasam made there.

Today is Vijayadashami and Amma made Paal payasam.Recipe follows. Its as simple as 1-2-3.

Ingredients:

1.7 cups of milk
2.half cup of rice(pachari -white rice)
3.one and a half cups of sugar
4.2 spoons of butter
5.cashews fried in butter for garnishing(optional)

Preparation:

1.Place washed rice,milk,butter and sugar in a pressure cooker and bring to boil by stirring occasionally.
2.After the mixture boils place the pressure cooker lid and cook it on medium flame till one whistle.Now reduce to low flame and let it cook for 5 more minutes.
3.Shut the flame off and open the cooker after 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fried cashews and serve.