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Writer's picturekzafarullah

Jackfruit payasam

Updated: May 12

I can find seasonal jackfruit in Bangalore again. Here is a very traditional recipe that I have been wanting to try for a long time.

Payasam is a lovely dish from Kerala. It is a sweet dessert made with milk/cream or coconut milk. The milk is cooked down with sugar or often jaggery and filled with rice, wheat, or fruit, as in this case.

This is a rich dessert. The jackfruit is broken down by cooking to a soft pulpy mess that gives the payasam its characteristic aroma and creamy texture. The rose water makes the dessert luxurious, and the nuts add a touch of texture. This is a lovely payasam, one I could not stop eating.

Ammi is a stone, mortar, and pestle, but the word also means unconditional love and affection expressed in several ways, including cooking food for family and friends. This cookbook is an ode to the author's mother's recipes that have been preserved for future generations. The book travels through her mother's life and memories, and the recipes span South Indian, Singaporean, Asian and European at various points. The recipes are spectacular, most of them are easy to make, and the food is delicious. This is a cookbook for those who are looking for something different.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.




Ingredients:

25 pods jackfruit, seed removed, inner membrane removed and finely diced

2 cups cream

3 cups milk

2-3 tablespoons jaggery, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground green cardamom pods

2 teaspoons rose water

A pinch of salt

1/4 cup slivered almonds and/or melon seeds


Add the jackfruit, cream, milk, jaggery, and cardamom to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Be careful; the milk will froth and spill over, so very simmer gently. Also, the cream will thicken and tend to cake the bottom. Stir the pot often to make sure it does not stick to the bottom and burn.


The cooked payasam will be thick, and the jackfruit will be soft and mushy. Stir in the rose water and salt. Taste for sweetness.


Serve at room temperature garnished with slivered almonds and/or melon seeds.


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