Moong dal is called split green gram dal, and we make payasam, i.e., Indian sweet pudding. Though there are many types of sweet pudding that we make using white rice, brown rice, split moong dal, etc., this moong dal payasam is mandatory in every Tamil household when we celebrate our festival, PONGAL.
My friends often get confused about our festival. They cannot differentiate between Pongal and Onam. As such, I need to say that Pongal is celebrated by all Tamilians who belong to the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Onam belongs to the Malayalis of the state of Kerela, India.
Moong dal paysam is very easy to make and has only three main ingredients. Namely, moong dal, jaggery, coconut milk, and ghee. Additionally, we add ghee, roasted dry fruits, and saffron to it.
COCONUT MILK EXTRACTION:
Remember to extract the coconut milk first. Add the grated coconut to a blender jar, add a little bit of water, and blend them well. Now this will be your first thick coconut milk that you will save to add at last. Then you can extract the milk again by adding a little more water to it, which will be slightly diluted this time.
This secondly extracted coconut milk can be used in the pressure cooker to cook the moong dal. If need be, you can add a little water. If you are cooking in a very large quantity, then water may be required in the pressure cooker.
This mixture can also be used in wide chatty in an open fire or gas stove. It is not necessary that you cook in a pressure cooker. but I really find it convenient, so I do it this way.
METHOD TO PREPARE MOONG DAL PAYASAM OR
PASI PARUPPU PAYASAM:
- In a pressure cooker, dry roast the dal for few minutes over controlled flame. do not let it burn or dark brown as it may cause bitter taste. Lentils, due to their high protein content, absorb burnt flavour more quickly. add moong dal and cook for 2 whistles. You can also use white sago pearls (Javvarisi or sabudana) that have been soaked in water for around 45 mins to 1 hour.
- soak raw rice in water for 15 mins. after dry roasting dal add the raw rice with water to the dal and set it to pressure cook.
2. In another pot, add jaggery and water and bring it to a good boil. Strain this mixture and set it aside. Do not add more water to this jaggery. Just add it to a point where the jaggery just sits inside the water.
3. Next, take a wide chatty, add 1 teaspoon ghee, and pour this to cooked moong dal inside. give a quick stir. then add the jaggery syrup to this mixture. add the sago pearls at this stage. A well-soaked sago pearl needs only 5 mins or less to cook.
4. Once it comes to a good boil, add the freshly extracted thick coconut milk. Add the dry fruits that have been roasted with ghee. preferably cashews, pistachios, and raisins. Adding a pinch of saffron diluted with 1 tablespoon of warm milk also enhances the flavour of the paysam. Add cardamom powder at last to retain the flavour.
5. You can also add edible camphor to this, which is totally optional. By adding this, it gives you the prasadam kind of taste that we get in South Indian temples.
6. Garnish with a tablespoon of fine, freshly grated coconut.
POINTS TO NOTE WHILE PREPARING THIS PAYASAM:
- The darker the jaggery color, the reddish the payasam colour will be. If you choose the yellowish colour jaggery, then the paysam will be light in colour. There is no need to add any food colour to it.
- Always use thick milk at least 2 minutes before you are going to switch off the flame. Once you have poured the coconut milk, don’t let it boil for a longer time; otherwise, the flavours will be lost completely.
- Always sieve the jaggery syrup before adding it to the moong dal mixture in order to avoid any grainy or sandy grits.
- Add the roasted dry fruits just before serving to retain the crunchiness. Also, add the cardamom powder just when you are about to turn off the flame.
- The dal should not be cooked until mushy; it should hold its shape separately.
- Always add cardamom powder and roasted dry fruits towards the end of the preparation; otherwise, all the main aroma will be lost.