Paruppu Pradaman

How do you explain the name in English?? Probably the closest would be Coconut milk jaggery porridge with pulses! That is long but it lets you know what to expect!

There are many ways to write a recipe, but the one I found at Sulekha.com, as I was browsing for other blog recipes of paruppu pradaman to cite in my post is written in a unique style. You have to know a wee bit of Tamil to be able to enjoy this post by Shri.Vaidyanathan Pushpagiri in its entirety as it uses typical Palakkad Lingo. Here's an extract from the post titled "Kerala Cuisine: from the kitchen of a Kerala Pattar". Pattar is the slang for a 'Brahmin' in Kerala and Tamilnadu

"Yenna, Konjam Inge Varela?" That was my wife from the kitchen.".....

I identified a lot with that because I usually call on 'P' for such jobs [Not in the same style though, me being Tam, and he Tulu] - grating the coconut, slicing it etc. Only this time I didn't - I used store bought coconut milk!! I used Dabur's Homemade brand. It was alright, not bad at all but, I would not recommend it or use it again unless I am short of time, as I missed the delicately enticing aroma of freshly extracted coconut milk. My parents nor In-laws celebrate Onam, but I generally celebrate all festivals including Id and Christmas with sevaiyan or cakes - for me it is all about the spirit of festivity, and then, it's a good excuse to try all those yummy sweets and desserts!!

To enjoy any tengapal payasam (Porridge using coconut milk) you must develop a liking for coconut milk and jaggery. I have found that some people not used to the taste of coconut milk do not seem to like curries or sweets made with it. This payasam is a good 'vegan' alternative as it satisfies the need for a 'payasam' without compromising on the taste.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Moong dal/dehusked, split moong bean - 1/4 cup
Coconut Milk - 2 packets of dabur coconut milk or Milk from 2 coconuts
Green Cardamom - About 5 to 6 pods powdered
Jaggery (Organic) - 2 cups powdered
Nutralite vegan butter spread - 2 to 3 tbsps.
1/4 cup of thinly sliced coconut pieces.

Preparation:
1. Fry coconut pieces till brown and set aside.

2. Extract coconut milk:
Grate the coconut taking care not to scrape the kernel's brown portion. Add a cup of boiling water to about 3 cups of grated coconut. Mix well and strain to get the first milk.

Add another cup of water to the strained coconut gratings and grind for a few minutes. Strain to get the second milk.

Add 2 cups of water to the ground coconut residue and grind well this time. Press out the milk either through a sieve or throught a muslin cloth. What you get will be thinner than the first too extracts - this is the third milk.

Set these three extracts separately aside.

3. Clean, wash and drain the moong beans for some time. I spread it on a towel and pat dry it as it hardly retains any water that way.

4. Roast till the dal just starts turning pink. Set aside in a plate to cool. When cool cook till soft but not mushy. (3 whistles in my Hawkins)

5. Mix the cooked dal with the powdered jaggery.

6. Heat a heavy wok and melt the nutralite. Add the dal-jaggery mixture and stir well till the jaggery melts well.

7. Add the third coconut extract milk and cook till it just starts boiling. Add the second extract and cook further. Do not boil. Remove from fire and add the first extract.

8. Stir well. Add cardamom powder and fried coconut slices.

9. Serve warm.

Note: The amount of coconut milk also depends on the sweetness of the jaggery used which varies with the type. Some jaggery varieties are a bit salty which is not suitable for making this pradaman. Organic jaggery imparts better colour and melts easily, and doesn't have the slightest tinge of salt.

The consistency should be like that of ice cream melted to room temperature - not runny, not thick - like Chinese sauce!!

Boiling the first extract might result in curdling.

This is the special dish I made for 'Onam Celebration - Festive Food Event' started by Priti of 'Indian Khana' and Purva of 'Purva's Daawat', and guest hosted by Priyanka of 'Asankhana'.