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: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutesAn 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.
