Gothambu Payasam
Broken Wheat Payasam is a traditional Kerala dessert made with coconut milk, jaggery , broken wheat and spices. It is a delicious sweet treat that is served on special occasions.
Servings 6
Calories 316kcal
Ingredients
- 1 C Broken Wheat Notes
- 2 - 3 C Jaggery Grated , See Notes
- 2 C Grated Coconut Packed See Notes
- 3 -4 Green Cardamom
- 1/8 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- ¼ Tsp Dry Ginger Powder
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Cut into small pieces
- 10 - 12 Cashew Nuts
- 2 Tbsp Raisins
- 2 Tbsp Ghee Use as needed
Instructions
Prepare Coconut Milk
- Mix grated coconut with warm water and squeeze out the milk 3 times. (See Notes) . Reserve 2 C of thin milk, 1 C Medium thick milk and ½ C thick milk (Check notes for canned/powdered milk).
Cook The Broken Wheat
- Wash the broken wheat and drain in a strainer. Heat the pressure cooker and add the broken wheat along with 2 C of thin milk and 1 C water. Cook for 1 whistle or about 6 to 7 minutes after it has reached full pressure.
Prepare the fried garnishes
- In a small pan heat 1 Tbsp of ghee and toast the coconut bits . Stir the coconut often to prevent burning. Once the coconut has browned all around drain from the ghee and reserve .
- Add he cashew nuts to the pan and toast till golden brown. Add more ghee if needed. Drain and reserve .
- Add the raisins to the ghee and toast till it fluffs up. Drain and reserve.
Make Payasam
- Add the jaggery to the same pan and cook over low heat. As it begins to melt add 2 to 4 tbsps of water to prevent it from burning. If you are working with more yellowish jaggery this is the time to caramelize it a little to get that brown color.
- Once he jaggery has liquefied , pour it through a strainer to remove any impurities.
- Open the cooker and check if the cracked wheat is cooked through. If needed cook a few more minutes.
- Add the melted jaggery and 1 C of the medium thick coconut milk to the wheat . Mix and let the mix come to a boil . Reduce the heat and let it slow boil until the mix looks a little thick . Taste and adjust jaggery to your taste.
Season
- Powder the cardamom seeds and cumin seeds using a mortar and pestle.Add the powdered spices to the payasam.
- Add the thick milk and mix together. Turn off the heat once tiny bubbles begin to appear on the sides of the payasam. Do not let it boil.
- Mix in most of the fried raisins, cashew nuts and coconuts.
Serve
- Cover the pan and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.Transfer to the serving dishes and garnish with the remaining fried bits.
Notes
- The directions are for pressure cooker, to make in a stockpot bring the water wheat mix to a boil and cook on low for 25 .
- Broken wheat is also known as cracked wheat or sooji gothambu.
- For ore details on making fresh coconut milk check here.
- If using canned milk – skim off 2 tbsp solids for the thick milk , Mix the rest together and dilute ½ C with 11/2 C water to makes the thin milk and use the rest as the semi thick milk.
- Adjust the jaggery as per desired sweetness. Different batches of jaggery vary in sweetness. 2 C grated jaggery used here is equivalent to about 300g.
- When not available brown sugar or piloncillo can be substituted.
Nutrition
Calories: 316kcal