It is Onam today... we normally don't celebrate Onam towards our side. However, the long banana plantains adorned with innumerable varieties of vegetarian delicacies, that is to be washed down with a small banana, some sharakara varatti and a couple of payasams are too good to ignore. That is why every Onam we make sure to get a couple of "Onasadyas" from the nearby restaurant and devour them to the fullest. Not to mention the sleep that comes after having such a heavy meal... I so clearly remember the Onam when I was carrying Azza. It fell during Ramadan, I wasn't fasting due to my physical condition. A friend of mine was also carrying at that time as well, so we always shared each other's pregnancy depressions and ups-downs during that time. I tracked down a restaurant near to my office that was arranging parcelled Onasadya and booked two meals for pickup the next day. I got them on the way back home from office and landed up at her home to deliver her parcel, quickly coming back to home to have mine. We couldn't eat together as I was already late after work but though we ate separately, we were constantly messaging each other about how good the meal tasted and how heavy we were feeling. Those memories are really fresh and so is the taste of that awesome sadya... :)
Sharing with you a payasam that I had made sometime back but reserved it for this occasion... I always love some twists to my payasams, so here is a nurukku gothambu/ daliya/ broken wheat payasam, with the goodness of carrots and coconut milk! Off to the way I made it...
Carrot Nurukku Gothambu Payasam/ Carrot Daliya Kheer
Serves 4-6
2 large carrots, chopped
1 cup coconut, grated
2 cups water
1 tbsp ghee
125 gm broken wheat (daliya), cleaned well
1 cup coconut, grated
2 cups water
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| We rarely find these reddish orange Indian carrots here... |
125 gm broken wheat (daliya), cleaned well
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3/4 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
3/4 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
For garnish:
1 tbsp ghee
10-15 cashew nutes
A fistful raisins
Method:
Cook the carrots in one cup of water till soft - pressure cook them for three whistles. Once cooled, blend until smooth and set aside.
Add the coconut and the other cup of water in a blender and prepare fresh coconut milk. To know more, you can refer to this post. Set aside.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the daliya and saute for five minutes till a nice aroma comes. Add the milk, cardamom, sugar and salt and give it a mix. Close the lid and pressure cook on medium-low flame for one whistle and then leave it on for 10 minutes on low flame. Switch off and allow the pressure to go by itself.
Open, add the carrot juice and coconut milk and give a good mix. Simmer for five minutes - do not boil!
Heat the ghee, fry the cashew nuts and puff the raisins. Add to the warm kheer. Enjoy!
