It is the start of festive season, Onam vibes are on! And to celebrate this harvest festival, here is a very special Onam sadya recipe – pineapple payasam! No festival is complete without desserts especially payasam, right?
Payasam is kind of a staple in every south Indian festival menu. It is the finisher that we all like the most. There are so many different payasam recipes, but this pineapple payasam is very unique and is also extremely delicious.
This pineapple payasam is a Kerala style recipe made with fresh pineapple (obviously), coconut milk and jaggery. Simple ingredients, but yet it is so tasty. Jaggery gives the earthy flavor to the payasam. I love payasam made with coconut milk and jaggery.
Last year for Onam, I had posted a recipe of avail, which is my favorite. I wanted to prepare a sadya menu and post it. But, it is quite difficult to post so many recipes within a short time. So, I thought why not share a dessert recipe, that too our very own payasam.
For this pineapple payasam, make sure you use pineapples that are sweet and not sour. Sweet ones lend a beautiful flavor to the payasam. These pineapples along with jaggery and coconut milk creates a blast of flavor.
As I said earlier, I had plans of making a grand Onam sadya menu with so many varieties. I have been planning to do Onam sadya for like two years now and it has never happened till date. Hoping to do one before next year at least. For that, I would have to post all the recipes before making the sadya so that it would be easy for all of you to follow!
So, back to our pineapple payasam. I have been on mission now. For the past few months, whenever I have prepared a payasam or kheer, I made sure that I have not repeated any till date. So, in that list, I have been wanting to try pineapple payasam for a long time now. But, I was not sure whether to use milk or coconut milk.
With milk, I thought that the pineapple payasam would curdle. So, I thought I should first caramelize the pineapple and add it to cold payasam and not mix it in while it is still hot. So, this has been happening for quite some time now.
But then, recently, while I google searched different recipes for Onam, I came across a pineapple payasam. So then I thought of trying this Kerala style pineapple payasam with coconut milk and jaggery. Since I did not have much time to try it before I actually shot the pictures, I went ahead with the recipe.
This is my first attempt at pineapple payasam and I have to say that I am quite impressed with the results. I love how the payasam has turned out to be. I love the taste. With the pineapple flavors dominating, a mild hint of flavor from the coconut milk and an earthy flavor from the jaggery, this pineapple payasam is super delicious!
So, serve this pineapple payasam as a part of your Onam sadya and enjoy it with your loved ones, for this festive season. Onam Ashamsakal! Stay safe; stay healthy! Happy cooking and eating!
While you are here, do checkout my Kerala style avial recipe to prepare for the sadya! Also, checkout my other payasam and kheer recipes to prepare for the festival! Do try my other Indian sweet recipes too for this festive season!
Has meal planning been a little bit difficult during this lockdown? Look through my No Veggies, 21-Day Lockdown Series for ideas on what to cook during this lockdown.
If you have tried any of my recipes, then tag @the_busy_apron and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thebusyapron. Also tag @TheBusyApron and share it on Twitter with the hashtag #thebusyapron
Pineapple payasam
Ingredients
- 1 cup peeled and finely chopped pineapple
- ½ cup grated jaggery
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
- few split cashews
- few raisins
- 1+1 tbsp ghee
Instructions
- In a kadai, add jaggery and water. Let it melt. Strain the jaggery syrup for any impurities. Keep aside.
- In another pan or kadai, add a tablespoon of ghee and let it heat. Add the chopped pineapples and saute for 2 – 3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the jaggery syrup to the pineapples and let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the pineapples have softened.
- Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- Add thick coconut milk and stir well with the rest of the ingredients. Turn off the heat.
- In a tadka pan, add ghee and let it heat on medium flame. Add split cashews and fry until golden brown. Turn off the heat and add the raisins. Pour the fries nuts and raisins to the payasam and mix well.
- Serve pineapple payasam warm or cold.
Notes
- If you are using powdered jaggery that are free of impurities, then you can add it directly to the pineapples along with some water.
- Chop the pineapple very finely so that it mixes well with the payasam.
- Make sure the pineapple is cooked through and is tender before adding the coconut milk.
- You can also add crushed whole cardamoms instead of powdered cardamom.
- You can also fry the pineapples in coconut oil, instead of ghee.
- Do not cook the payasam after adding coconut milk.
- While frying the raisins, the residue heat is enough to make them plump.
- Fried bits of coconut goes well with most of the Kerala style payasam recipes. You can try the same with this too if you like.
