Nendra Pazham Pradhaman (Banana Payasam)

Be it Onam or Vishu or a special celebration at home – making a payasam is mandatory. Birthdays never seem complete without a special payasam. And there are so many different varieties of payasams that you can make. Though payasam is the general term used across Kerala, it is actually the milk based white color one. And the brown colored coconut milk based payasam is called a pradhaman.

Last year for Onam, I had shared the recipe of Cherupayar Parippu Pradhaman. And this time, I thought of sharing another pradhaman recipe which is really easy to make and uses the Kerala banana. Neither does it take a long time to cook nor does it require a lot of ingredients. And for ease of making, I am using the ready-to-use coconut milk.

A Kerala Sadya is never complete without a payasam. And mostly it will be two different types to end the meal with – a payasam and a pradhaman. So do try and make this Nendra Pazham Pradhaman at home for your Onam Sadya. If you are looking for some simple and quick recipes for your Onam Sadya, check out the ones I have already posted.

Nendra Pazham Pradhaman (Banana Payasam)

Course: DessertCuisine: Indian, KeralaDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

An Onam/Vishu Special sweet using plantains

Ingredients

• Plantain/Nendra Pazham/Kerala Banana – 2

• Ghee

• Cashews – 8-10

• Coconut Slices – 2 tbsp

• Grated Jaggery – ½ cup (can reduce if plantains are very ripe and sweet)

• Thin Coconut Milk – 1 cup (See Recipe Notes)

• Thick Coconut Milk – ½ cup

• Ginger Powder – ¼ tsp

• Cardamom Powder – ¼ tsp

Directions

• Cut the bananas into 2-3 pieces and then steam cook them (with the skin on) either in a steamer or microwave.
• Remove the skin and the seeds (if needed) and mash them well.
• The bananas can also be mashed in a mixer if you prefer a smooth paste.
• In a kadai, add some ghee and fry the cashews and coconut slices till golden brown in color.
• Remove it from heat and keep it separate.
• In the same ghee, add the mashed bananas and cook it for a couple of minutes.
• Next, add the grated jaggery and the thin coconut milk. (If using tinned coconut milk, then for making thin coconut milk, mix ½ cup of tinned milk with ½ cup of water)
• Let the plantains, jaggery and coconut milk cook together till it thickens.
• Next, add the thick coconut milk, ginger powder and cardamom powder and mix well.
• Let it come to a single boil and turn off the heat.
• Add the fried cashews and coconut slices (can reserve a few for garnishing) and serve this payasam hot/cold.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Coconut Milk: If you are using tinned coconut milk, then take 1/2 cup of coconut milk and dilute it with 1/2 cup of water to make the thin coconut milk. And use it as-is without diluting to make the thick coconut milk. If you are using coconut milk powder, then refer to the instructions on the packet to make the required quantity of thin and thick coconut milk. If you are using freshly extracted coconut milk, then keep the milk extracted first without any water added to it separately. This is the thick coconut milk. And the milk extracted next with water added to it is the thin coconut milk.