Paruppu Payasamபருப்பு பாயசம்

Name: Paruppu Payasam
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Tamil
Ingredients: 1/2 cup split moong dal — pasi paruppu; 3/4 cup jaggery — vellam, packed; 2 cups thin coconut milk; 1 cup thick coconut milk; 1 1/2 cups water; 2 tbsp ghee — nei; 15 cashews; 2 tbsp raisins — kismis; 4 pods green cardamom — elakkai, seeds powdered; 2 tbsp dried coconut pieces — kopra, sliced thin; a pinch salt

⏱ Prep 10m🍳 Cook 30m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegetarian

Video: Hebbars Kitchen (YouTube)

Paruppu Payasam is Tamil Nadu's most beloved festive sweet — split moong dal simmered to silk in coconut milk and darkened with palm jaggery. It appears at temple prasadam, harvest celebrations, and wedding feasts, always finished with a fragrant ghee tempering of cashews, raisins, and toasted coconut.

📍 Make it in Plano

This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.

Finding Desi spots near Plano…

Ingredients

▪split moong dal — pasi paruppu1/2 cup
▪jaggery — vellam, packed3/4 cup
▪thin coconut milk2 cups
▪thick coconut milk1 cup
▪water1 1/2 cups
▪ghee — nei2 tbsp
▪cashews15
▪raisins — kismis2 tbsp
▪green cardamom — elakkai, seeds powdered4 pods
▪dried coconut pieces — kopra, sliced thin2 tbsp
▪salta pinch

🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions

Coconut milk: Use one 400ml can of full-fat coconut milk — dilute half with equal water for thin milk, use the rest straight for thick. Dabur or Maggi tetra-pack from Indian grocers works well abroad.
Jaggery: Substitute dark brown sugar or coconut sugar at equal weight. The payasam will be slightly less complex but still rich.
Dried coconut pieces (kopra): Replace with unsweetened desiccated coconut flakes — dry-toast in the ghee pan until pale gold before adding to the tempering.

Method

1Dry-roast moong dal in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and nutty-smelling, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups water and cook for 3 whistles until completely soft. Mash lightly.
2In a small saucepan, dissolve jaggery in 1/4 cup water over low heat. Strain through a fine sieve to remove grit. Set syrup aside.
3Combine the mashed dal and jaggery syrup in a wide heavy pot. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4Pour in the thin coconut milk and stir well. Continue simmering for 5 minutes on low heat.
5Remove from heat. Stir in the thick coconut milk, cardamom powder, and salt. Do not return to a boil after adding thick coconut milk.
6Heat ghee in a small pan. Fry cashews until golden, add raisins until they puff, then add dried coconut pieces and fry 30 seconds. Pour entire tempering over the payasam.
7Serve warm or at room temperature.

A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.