Parippu Pradhaman | Onam Special

Wishing all my lovely readers a very Happy and Prosperous Onam! This year my parents are here with us and that makes everything so much more special. 

Daddy's pradhaman (Payasam/Kheer prepared with jaggery) preparations are very popular at home. Both my dad and my father-in-law are in-charge of the payasam preparations during festival season. They put in a lot of effort into the preparations and the payasams always taste amazing. I tried getting Manish to watch and learn how it is made, but I'm sure that didn't work as much...lol! Daddy already made Ada Pradhaman a month back for no special occasion as such. It was so good! It was so good that I was too busy savoring it that I forgot to take a pic for sharing it with you all. ;-)

So last weekend when he made this delicious Parippu Pradhaman/Payasam for an Onam potluck with our friends, I knew it has to come on the blog for me and you all to drool over and prepare in future. :-)

Daddy likes to make his Parippu Pradhaman with split yellow moong dal. Jaggery, Coconut milk and some flavorful spices makes this payasam very unique and apt for serving as a special occasion sweet dish. It's a very easy recipe and tastes divine.  I have tried my best to explain the recipe in detail and almost as exactly as Daddy made it. 

You can see the concentration on Daddy's face as he prepares his signature Parippu Pradhaman ;-)

Parippu Pradhaman

Serves: 3-4

You'll Need

1 cup yellow split Moong Dal

2 cups water

2 cups Jaggery

2 Tablespoons Water

2 cups Coconut Milk (if using canned coconut milk)

3 cups water 

½ teaspoon dry Ginger powder

½ teaspoon Cumin powder

½ teaspoon Cardamom powder

2 Tablespoons Dry Coconut slices

2 Tablespoons sliced Cashew nuts

2 Tablespoons Ghee

Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan roast split Moong Dal until it is golden brown and fragrant.

2. Add 2 cups water (or enough to cook the dal) and cook the dal until it gets soft but not overcooked/mushy.

3. While the dal cooks, in a separate frying pan, heat 2 Tablespoons Ghee and fry the coconut slices until golden brown. Next fry the cashew nuts and keep both aside.

4. Melt Jaggery in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Strain and keep aside.

5. Once dal cooks well, add the melted jaggery and cook the dal-jaggery mix until jaggery thickens and almost reaches a string like consistency over low heat (when a drop of jaggery syrup is pinched between fingers it should stick and form a thin thread)

6. Divide the 2 cups Coconut milk into 1 cup, ¾ cup and ¼ cup each – which we call 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd milk.

- Into the 1 cup coconut milk, add 2 cups water – keep aside (1^st milk)

- Into the ¾ cup coconut milk, add 1 cup water – keep aside (2^nd milk)

- Into the ½ cup milk add Cardamom, Cumin and Ginger powders – keep aside (3^rd milk)

7. Now add the 1^st milk into the dal-jaggery mix and cook over medium-low heat until the mix thickens.

8. Then add the 2^nd milk and continue to cook until the payasam reaches a good consistency. It will thicken as it cools so don't thicken it too much while cooking.

9. Finally add the 3^rd milk, stir well and turn off the heat.

10. Garnish with fried coconut slices and cashew nuts – delicious Parippu Pradhaman is ready. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy it as is or with small banana and pappadam …yumm!

Once again wishing everyone a very Happy Onam, from our family to yours! 

-Manju

Kerala style Mutton Roast | Happy New Year 2019 to all!

Hello and Happy New Year 2019 to all. Hope everything is going good on your end. 2018 had been a good year overall. Other than blogging I must say everything else went on as usual and smoothly. We visited a lot of places throughout the year and it's been a lot of fun watching our 2 year old (Mihibaby) grow. I can't help but say how cute she is. She literally is the apple of our eyes.
2019 has started with a bang for us. Atleast for me there's been a big change. Hopefully all changes are for the best and I'm trying to see the positive side of all things. I've been cooking and experimenting a lot lately and I'm enjoying it a lot. Charlotte weather had been kinda rainy and gloomy with few days of sunshine now and then but it has been a rather cold winter (atleast for my tolerance). I don't remember the last time I picked up my DSLR , Lol! Hoping to use that beauty a lot more this year and hopefully the blog won't stay so silent. 

This delicious mutton roast was our lunch for New Year's day along with naadan matta rice, achingapayar mezhukuperatty and pulissery. My family really enjoys the Mutton Biriyani that I make. I need to get that on the blog someday, if it lasts for a photoshoot that is.... I managed to quickly take a few pics of this deliciousness with my mobile camera. So forgive me if some pics are blurry ;-)

Kerala style Mutton Roast is spicy with an almost caramelized sticky gravy coating the mutton pieces and it is absolutely Yumm! It is best enjoyed with rice, Appam, Chapathi, kerala porotta etc. I love using bone-in mutton, it adds so much more flavor and my favorite pat is to suck the fillings that gets stuck in the bones. The meat has to be bone tender and soft once cooked.

Mutton Roast | Kerala style

You’ll Need

To Marinate:

2lb (~1kg) Bone-in Mutton (cut into bite sized cubes)

1 teaspoon GingerGarlic Paste

1 teaspoon Corriander powder

1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Meat masala/Garam masala powder

1 Tablespoon Black pepper powder

1 teaspoon Vinegar or juice of ½ Lemon

Salt to taste

½ cup Water (for pressure cooking)

To Sauté :

2-3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

2 teaspoons Fennel seeds

2 springs Curry Leaves

¼ cup thin Coconut slices (optional but highly preferred)

1 large Onion thinly sliced

2-3 Green chillies sliced lengthwise

2 teaspoons Ginger-Garlic paste

1 medium Tomato (chopped)

2-3 Tablespoons Meat Masala/Garam Masala powder

1 teaspoon Corriander powder

1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder

1 teaspoon Turmeric powder

Salt to taste (add as needed)

Directions:

1. Wash and clean the mutton pieces and place it in a bowl.

2. Marinate the mutton with all the spice powders and ingredients mentioned under Marinate section for atleast 30 mins – 1 hour.

3. Pressure cook the marinated mutton with ½ cup warm water for atleast 5-6 whistles. (I used my Instant Pot – Meat/Stew option set for 10 minutes)

4. Meanwhile in a pan, heat the oil and add curry leaves, fennel seeds and coconut slices (if using) and roast until the coconut slices are mildly browned and fragrant.

5. Add the ginger garlic paste, sliced onions and sliced green chilies with a pinch of salt and sauté until onions are soft and caramelized.

6. Now add all the spice powders and roast for a minute and then add the chopped tomato. Roast until the tomato gets soft.

7. Now add the pressure cooked mutton pieces along with all the broth into the onion-masala mixture.

8. Cook everything on medium flame stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens and coats the mutton pieces (should take about 10-15 mins). Better to cook without a lid on as we want the gravy to thicken.

Note:

- Coconut oil makes all the difference….no other oil can provide the unique authentic flavor. CurryLeaves are a preferred must as well.

- We add salt while marinating the mutton, so make sure you adjust adding salt accordingly when sautéing and for the final dish.

- Adjust spice level to your preference. We like it really spicy!! ;-)

- This exact same recipe can be used for Chicken/Beef roast as well.

- I did not have coconut slices but they really taste good with the spicy meat.

  

Recipe adapted from Kothiyavunu

So until my next recipe share, stay warm and happy wherever you are. May the New Year be full of success, and dreams coming true for everyone! :-)

-Manju