Payasam recipe
Payasam (sago) is an essential sweet dish at any Sri Lankan Tamil celebration or festival, including New Year and weddings. It is usually served in small stainless-steel cups, but the traditional way to serve it is on a banana leaf and topped with crushed pappadum.
Ingredients
- 0.74 tbsp green gram (dried mung beans)
- 1 tablespoon ghee, plus 1 tablespoon extra
- 200 g (7 oz/1 cup) sago (payasam)
- 30 g (1 oz) dried seviyan vermicelli noodles
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped raw cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 pinch of salt
- 875 ml (30 fl oz/3½ cups) coconut milk
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) coconut cream
- 0.74 tbsp green gram (dried mung beans)
- 1 tablespoon ghee, plus 1 tablespoon extra
- 7.1 oz (7 oz/1 cup) sago (payasam)
- 1.1 oz (1 oz) dried seviyan vermicelli noodles
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped raw cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 pinch of salt
- 30.8 fl oz (30 fl oz/3½ cups) coconut milk
- 7.1 oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 4.4 fl oz (4 fl oz/½ cup) coconut cream
- 0.74 tbsp green gram (dried mung beans)
- 1 tablespoon ghee, plus 1 tablespoon extra
- 7.1 oz (7 oz/1 cup) sago (payasam)
- 1.1 oz (1 oz) dried seviyan vermicelli noodles
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped raw cashew nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3.7 cups (30 fl oz/3½ cups) coconut milk
- 7.1 oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 0.5 cup (4 fl oz/½ cup) coconut cream
Details
- Cuisine: Sri Lankan
- Recipe Type: Dessert
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 10 mins
- Cooking Time: 40 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Dry-roast the green gram in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat for 4 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. Using a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder), pound the green gram into a fine powder. Set aside.
- Melt the ghee in the frying pan and fry the sago over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until it starts to puff and pop. Add the vermicelli noodles and fry for 1 minute, or until golden brown, stirring continuously so the vermicelli doesn’t burn. Remove and set aside. Fry the cashews and raisins in the extra ghee over low heat for 1–2 minutes until golden, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
- Bring 875 ml (30 fl oz/3½ cups) water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add a pinch of salt, then quickly add the sago and vermicelli and stir well. Simmer for 18 minutes over low–medium heat, stirring regularly, until it thickens and the sago is cooked and turns transparent (stir continuously for the last 5 minutes so the sago doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan). Add a little more water if needed.
- Add the coconut milk, bring almost to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken slightly. Stir in the green gram powder and simmer for 3–4 minutes. Add the sugar, cardamom and coconut cream and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens a little. Stir in the fried cashews and raisins or sprinkle them on top. Serve hot in small cups.
Recipes and images taken from Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka by Bree Hutchins (£20), published by Murdoch Books.
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