Moong Payasam / Passi Parrupu Payasam

Now days there are lot of changes in wedding foods, even the way of serving is also changed. Traditionally for any occasions the food will be served in plantain leaf or banana leaf and there is an order to serve the food and we need to keep the food in certain part of the plantain leaf. What ever changes comes the wedding menu will not complete without payasam, mostly payasam will be served for lunch that’s with rice menu. In this modern world people started to use paper cups for this payasam. But actually it should be served after rasam as I said first there will be some variety rice, white rice sambar, rasam, payasam and finally curd or buttermilk.

There are lot of payasam variety, I thought to stick with traditional tough. Moong Paysam or Passi Parrupu Payasam, this is made out of coconut milk, jaggery and moong. Mostly for all dhal or parrupu payasam we need to use coconut milk and jaggery.

Ingredients:

Split moong dhal (Passi parrupu)	½ cup
Raw rice	1 Tbsp
Coconut milk	1 cup
Jaggery	¾ cup
Cardamom powder	½ tsp
Cashew nut	1 Tbsp
Raisin	1 Tbsp
Ghee	1 Tbsp

 

Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat 3 cups of water, when the water starts to boil add moong and to cook.
2. Using a mixe or coffee grinder, pulse once or twice the raw rice (broke that into 2 or 3 pieces).
3. Add this to moong and cook by stirring frequently. If you feel water is not sufficient add another half cup of boiling water.
4. Mean while add jaggery and water (1/4 cup just to immerse) in another pan and start to cook until jaggey dissolves.
5. Once the moong and rice is cooked, add the jaggery syrup (filter it) and coconut milk and allow it to boil once.
6. Finally add cardamom powder, heat ghee fry cashew and raisin and add to cooked payasam.

Note:

• I used half cup thick and half cup thin coconut milk.
• You can increase or decrease the coconut milk according to your taste.
• If you’re using jaggery powder you might need little less I used manda vellam.

 

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Gulab Jamoon

Blogging Marathon as the name says this month it’s going to be a great non stop marathon as usual for each week there will be a theme. Our leader srivalli selected wonderful topics for this month BM. For first week the given theme was Occasions, it can be wedding, birthday, anniversary etc. I have chosen wedding, now a days our traditional wedding menus are changed a lot in our place. This theme gave a new experience and I explored lot about our Indian wedding.

Coming to my today’s recipe, this is one of the main sweet dishes in Gujarathi weddings. Gulab Jamoon small milk balls deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup. I have tried instant once but this is first time tried from scratch and learnt what to do and not.

Ingredients:

Milk powder	1 cup
Maida	3 Tbsp
Butter	3 Tbsp
Milk (room temperature)	¼ Cup
Salt	a pinch
Baking soda	¼ tsp
Vinegar	1 tsp
For Syrup:
Sugar	2 cups
Water	2 cups
Cardamom powder	¼ tsp
Rose water	Few drops
Yeilds : 20 pieces

 

Directions:

1. In a medium size mixing bowl add milk powder, salt, vinegar and baking soda mix well.
2. Add butter little by little and mix well (rub using both the hands) it should blend well.
3. Finally add half of the milk and mix well again add remaining milk and mix well (use your fingers only). Dough will be sticky allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Mean time add sugar and water in a large sauce pan and start to cook keep stirring until sugar dissolves, cook 6-9 minutes after it starts to boil (totally cooking time will be 10- 15 minutes) when you touch it should be sticky (use index and thumb for testing).
5. Finally add cardamom powder and turn off the stove and add few drops of rose water.
6. After resting time, dough will turn stiff grease your hand with butter and start to work with the dough divide the dough to 20 equal parts and make small balls.
7. Heat oil in a frying pan, add 4-5 balls and keep stirring the oil without touching the balls. It will take 7 minutes to cook.
8. Once jamoons cooked remove from oil and drain the excess oil and allow it to cool (3-4 minutes). Add to the sugar syrup let it soak for 2-3 hours. Can be stored in air tight container for 3 days in room temperature or in refrigerator for 10 days bring to room temperature before serving.

 

Tips:

• How to check the oil?
• Make a small ball using 2 pinches of dough drop that in oil it should sit in the bottom for couple minutes and then it should start to come up slowly and should take almost 5-7 minutes to cook or 3-4 minutes to turn light brown.
• If your ball comes up fast and turns brown your oil is too hot, reduce the heat and add some more oil to reduce the temperature.
• Better to check oil temperature before you add each batch.
• The jamoon will almost double in size after fried so prepare accordingly. When making balls, if the dough doesn’t bind add 1 tsp of milk and try. There should not be any crack in balls when adding in oil. If there are cracks then balls will break.
• Sugar syrup should be warm when adding your fried jamoon but don’t reheat after you prepared. Better start to prepare when you’re making balls.
• For best result prepare a day ahead of your need.

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