PACHAI PARUPPU/MOONG DHAL PAYASAM

The blizzard of 2010 is over. This was how all the news channels described the snowstorm. Our area recorded around 29 inches of snow. There was nothing to do since Friday except to watch news all day. Luckily we had our friend and her kid staying with for the weekend, so we had a good time staying at home. This is how our apartment complex looked after 26 inches of snow.


Coming on to this recipe, I made this for our wedding anniversary. January and February are special months for us since our birthdays and wedding anniversaries fall during these months. I prepared a variety of dishes ranging from cinnamon rolls (this was my first attempt) to the usual chocolate cake I make. The cinnamon rolls were the top sellers. I used white whole wheat flour and I used chopped walnuts and dry fruits for the filling. Then I used a honey butter glaze on top. It was rich and delicious yet a little bit on the healthier side. Here are some of the pictures of dishes I made for our birthdays. The lunch menu I made for my hubby’s birthday consists of egg briyani, gobi Manchurian, raita, and plain rice and rasam with chocolate cake.

Today I am posting the recipe for the payasam. This is very traditional dessert recipe and an easy one. I used the microwave to cook the dhal and I have used agave nectar instead of sugar. When preparing this payasam for kids, I would recommend going for the full fat and full sugar version with jaggery and desi ghee. I have also used a lot of nuts and dry fruits to make it richer. Nuts pack a powerful nutritional punch and a delicious way to increase your good cholesterol (HDL) levels and they are filling too. I used a darker version of agave nectar and the taste of agave nectar in this paysam was almost like the regular ones with jaggery.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Split moong dhal, 1 cup.
2. Agave nectar/brown sugar/any sugar substitute, 1 cup.
3. Cardamom pods, 2.
4. Ghee/butter 1 tablespoon (I have used Promise Activ Butter here).
5. Dry fruits, raisins, and mixed nuts like cashews, pistachio etc chopped, around ½ cup.
6. Whole milk or condensed milk, 1 cup.

PREPARATION:
Crush the cardamom pods coarsely. Wash the dhal well and transfer it to a microwave-safe dish. Add enough water to cover the dhal, add the cardamom powder, and microwave it on high for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are cooked and soft. Meanwhile, heat a small pan with the butter or ghee and fry the dry fruits and nuts until good aroma comes from the mixture. Pour this over the cooked dhal, add the sugar or sweetener, and milk. Mix everything well and microwave for 5 more minutes. Some water can be added for the desired consistency, add extra ghee if needed and enjoy hot or cold.








39 comments:

Parita said...

Wow thats quite a lot of snow!! Yummy treats there!

Nandinis food said...

Droolz! I'm drooling over all those goodies! All of them are scrumptious! Happy anniversary!

Unknown said...

Happy anniversary Gita what a delicious spread every thing looks so yum............ and that cake looks so soft and yum..

Raks said...

For us too our Birthdays and wedding anniversary falls on same month :)
Thats lots of snow out there!!

All the pictures are gorgeous and moong dal payasam is simply yummy I love it!

Shama Nagarajan said...

happy anniversary....delightful spread over there

Siddhi Shirsat said...

wow gita nice payasam...nice way 2 use nectar insted of sugar, it vl make it mre yumm...thse dishes luk yummm...i m drooling over thm...ual must hv njoyed the lunch

kitchen queen said...

all yummy and mouth watering dishes especially the payasam.

BeenaShylesh said...

adipoli presentation...

Sowmya said...

wow...wonderful dishes..mouthwatering ,nice presentations and cute clicks..snow is completely mind blowing..hope you guys had a wonderful time..

Treat and Trick said...

This payasam looks delicious and other foodies too, happy anniversary Gita!

http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

Simplyfood said...

There is nothing like ahot sweet dish on acold winters day.Looks delicious.

Priya Suresh said...

Wow lovely spread, Thats great to know both birthdays and wedding anniversary falls on jan & feb..Happy Anniversary wishes to both Gita...Lovely payasam..

Vrinda said...

Happy anniversary Gita...Enjoy with ur delicious payasam,nice cake...

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

So Jan and Feb becomes celebration month @ Gita's next yr am gonna be there minus the snow storm... Oh my stuck up at home with all the snow and nothing else to do is a pain and UFO's that will be the last thing one would want amidst all this... Btw payasam looks very yummy and so are the wonderful treats out there... Love the thought of Agave in Payasam!!!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Hey Happy Anniversary and bday wishes to both (belated though)!!!

Rachana said...

Wow!!! thats indeed quite a lot of snow!!!! payasam looks yummy!!!

Sujatha said...

Oh, my favorite payasam! I can skip lunch and dinner and have a couple of bowls of this payasam :)

I've been hearing about the snow-storm in TV etc.. hope its all over now... take care..

Sushma Mallya said...

Happy anniversary gita...and u must have had a great time having so many yummy dishes,looks too good gita...

Shobana senthilkumar said...

Hi gita,
how r u? after a long time visiting urs:)wow..nice spread of dishes..

Padhu Sankar said...

Wow! what a delicious spread.. Moong dal payasam looks great.

YUVARAJ S said...

hi gita...good job and keep going

check my scribbles at:

http://encounter-ekambaram-ips.blogspot.com/

Vikis Kitchen said...

Snow and your apartment picture looks like a hallmark card dear. Happy anniversary and loads of best wishes for both of your Birthdays:) Lovely spread. Cinnamon roll is my all time favorite. Paruppu payasam looks very delicious to the core dear.

Urmi said...

Moong dal payesam is a new recipe for me. Payesam looks delicious and feel like having it now. Thanks for this lovely recipe.

Hayley said...

Drooling here...;))all the dishes looks mouthwatering and tempting..

Sum Raj said...

the clikc is soo beautiful plus the dessert items are sooo tempting dear..

Sarah Naveen said...

I m drooling!!!!! nice pic of snow..

Kalai said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kalai said...

Wow! My all time fav..looks yummy topped with all the nuts.
Seems you had a wonderful birthday n anniversary blast! Wish I had been invited!

Vaishali said...

Not quite over, Gita-- I believe more snow's headed our way tomorrow and over the coming weekend. I, for one, am ready for spring :)
And yes, the blue lightning was were certainly beautiful, although I hadn't heard about the alien invasion theory-- funny! :)
Your payasam sounds fantastic-- my mom would make a moong dal payasam with coconut milk that was delicious.

Uma said...

all the dishes are sooo delicious Gita! Happy anniversary!!

Shri said...

We are going to have another foot snow but yes that seems lot less when compared to yours...Belated wishes, Gita!!Thoise dishes are making my mouth water..

Tina said...

Happy anniversary dear...Payasam sounds great...

Preethi Rajeev said...

wow drooling over the yummy treats. Loved the snow pics, it's still snowing here

Nithu Bala said...

Anniversary and Bday wishes Dear :-) sorry to wish you late..

Nithu Bala said...

Dear,You have three awards waiting for you at my blog..please do drop in and collect them..My wishes for you to get many more awards..

Usha said...

All the treats look yum ! Happy Anniversary...

Yasmeen said...

Happy anniversary Geeta.Mine also falls in the same month.The special dishes look very tempting.And our part of the world is also snowed under :D

vidhas said...

wow!! sonw picture is nice. All the goodies are awesome. Happy Anniversery.

momsnetwork said...

Looks soo good. Yum treat
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