A warm bowl of Date Payasam brings together cooked and mashed dates, fresh coconut milk, sago, jaggery syrup, ghee, fragrant spices, cashew nuts and raisins.
This traditional-style preparation keeps the sweetness deep and natural, with the dates sautéed in ghee before simmering gently with jaggery syrup and coconut milk.
Dates, cooked, deseeded, and mashed – 1 cup
Grated coconut – 4 cups
Sago – 2 tablespoons, cooked
Jaggery syrup (jaggery melted, strained, then thickened well on the stove) – 1 cup
Ghee – 2 teaspoons
Cardamom, cumin, and dried ginger, powdered – 1 teaspoon
Cashew nuts – half a cup; Raisins – 1 teaspoon
Prepare and set aside the dates.
Squeeze the grated coconut to extract 1 cup of thick milk (first milk) and 4 cups of thin milk (second milk) and set aside. Wash and cook the sago.
Heat one teaspoon of ghee, add the mashed dates, sauté, and then add the jaggery syrup and mix.
When it begins to boil, add the thin milk little by little, stir, and bring to a boil on a low flame.
Add the cooked sago to this. When it thickens, mix the sixth ingredient into the thick milk and add it, stirring well.
Fry the seventh ingredient in the remaining ghee, add it to the payasam, and remove from the heat.
Use the thick milk only toward the end, after the payasam has thickened, and stir well after adding it.
Bring the thin milk mixture to a boil on a low flame after adding it little by little.
What is Date Payasam made of?
Date Payasam is made with dates, grated coconut, cooked sago, jaggery syrup, ghee, cardamom, cumin, dried ginger, cashew nuts and raisins. In this recipe, the dates are cooked, deseeded and mashed, while the coconut is squeezed into thick first milk and thin second milk.
How much coconut milk is needed for Date Payasam?
This Date Payasam uses coconut milk extracted from 4 cups of grated coconut. Squeeze it to extract 1 cup of thick milk, also called first milk, and 4 cups of thin milk, also called second milk. The thin milk is boiled first, and the thick milk is added near the end.
When should thick coconut milk be added to payasam?
The thick coconut milk should be added after the cooked sago has been added and the payasam has thickened. In this method, the cardamom, cumin and dried ginger powder are mixed into the thick milk before adding it, then everything is stirred well.
Why are dates sautéed in ghee for this recipe?
The mashed dates are sautéed in one teaspoon of ghee before jaggery syrup is added. This step helps bring out the richness of the dates and allows them to mix smoothly with the jaggery syrup before the thin coconut milk is added little by little.
Can I use jaggery syrup in Date Payasam?
Yes. This recipe uses 1 cup of jaggery syrup. The syrup is prepared by melting jaggery, straining it, and then thickening it well on the stove. It is added after the mashed dates are sautéed in ghee and mixed before boiling.
What garnish is used for Date Payasam?
The garnish is made with cashew nuts and raisins. Use half a cup of cashew nuts and 1 teaspoon of raisins, fry them in the remaining ghee, add them to the payasam, and then remove the payasam from the heat.
