MULAYARI (BAMBOO SEED) PAYASAM

We were in Wayanad last month and I bought a packet of mulayari (bamboo seed) from a shop near Muthanga check post. Mulayari looks and tastes somewhat like unakkalari (raw red rice) and I made payasam with it using the recipe given in "Taste of Kerala"Actually this recipe is the same used for "unakkalari payasam"

                  Bamboo trees

INGREDIENTS

1. Mulayari - 1/4 cup

2. Sharkkara pani (jaggery syrup) - 1 cup                              

3. Cardamom - 2

4. Thick coconut milk - 1 cup

5. Thin coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup

6. Ghee - 1 table spoon

7. Cashewnut - 10-12
8. Kismis - 15-20

METHOD

1. Pressure cook mulayari with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and open the cooker.

2. Cook for some more time and add jaggery syrup, crushed cardamom and thin coconut milk. Stir well and once it thickens reduce the heat.

3. Add  thick coconut milk stirring continuously and remove from fire. Continue stirring for 3-4 minutes.

4. Heat ghee in a pan. Fry cashewnuts and kismis and add to the payasam.

PAZHAM PRATHAMAN

Prathaman means number 1. Before starting this post I did a google search to see whether there is any explanation as to why many of the payasams with milk or coconut milk are called prathamans. None of the results gave a satisfactory answer. They just said ada prathaman is called so because it is the number 1 among payasams. Then how come there are so many prathamans? We are familiar with  "palada prathaman, pazham prathaman, parippu prathaman" etc.

My husband is from a Palakkad Iyer family and as per their custom payasam is to be served first in a sadya . Rice is served only after the payasam is finished. I simply follow the custom and never bothered to do much research as to why it is so when in all other parts of Kerala prathaman is not served in the "prathama" place. It is served towards the end of a sadya. ( next time I visit India I am going to ask my husband's uncle about this. May be he has an explanation for this) May be this custom was prevalent all over Kerala in ancient times and if so that explains how a number of payasams got the name "prathaman"

Let me come back to Pazham Prathaman. It is made with extra ripe kadalippazham (with dark spots on the skin) , nenthran pazham, poovan pazham or njaalippoovan pazham. In this recipe I have used njalippoovan pazham.

INGREDIENTS

1. Njalippoovan (rasakadali) pazham - 6

2. Jaggery - 700 gm

3. Ghee - 1/2 cup

4. Chukku-jeerakam-elakka podi - 1 table spoon (dried ginger, cumin seeds and cardamom taken in equal quantities and powdered)

5. Eastern coconut milk - 2 cans (800 ml)

6. coconut chopped (thengaakkothu ) - 2 table spoon

7. Cashew nut - 10-12

8. Kismis - 2 table spoon

PREPARATION

1. Skin and cut the plantains into 2 or 3. Cook in a wide pan with 1 1/2 water. Flip the pieces in between.

2. Take jaggery in another pan. Add 1 1/2 cup  water and boil. When it is completely dissolved and the solution thickened switch off stove

3. When the plantains are cooked and there is no water left, mash it well. Add the sharkkara paani (jaggery solution) and 2 table spoons of ghee  and cook on low heat stirring continuously. When the water is almost gone add a little more ghee and cook again.

4. Switch off the stove and continue stirring. Add coconut milk little by little (never stop stirring). When the whole coconut milk is added and mixed well heat on low flame till the raw smell of coconut is gone and the prathaman is reasonably hot. Add "chukku- jeerakam-elakka" podi and mix well.

5. Heat the remaining ghee and fry chopped coconut, cashewnut and kismis. Pour into the prathaman. 

CHAKKARA PONGAL NIVEDYAM

This is a sweet dish made with raw rice, jaggery and ghee. At home this is also referred to as Navarathri special payasam since this is offered to Devi everyday during the Navarathri Festival. Another version of this dish cooked with moong daal is a speciality in Tamilnadu during Pongal

INGREDIENTS

1.Raw rice/Jeerakasaala rice/basmati rice - 1/2 cup

2. Water - 3 cups
3. Jaggery - 250 gm
4. Ghee - 3 Table spoon
5. Milk - 1 table spoon (not required if the jaggery is pure)
6. Cashew nut - 1/4 cup
7. Kismis - 1/4 cup


METHOD

Pressure cook the rice with 2 cups of water . (This is to save time otherwise rice can be cooked in the normal way as well). After the first whistle, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Doesn't matter if there is excess water.

Meanwhile, add the jaggery to 1 cup of water and boil. Once the whole jaggery is dissolved and starts boiling, add the milk. The impurities if any will form a seperate layer which can be removed with a spoon. When the solution is sticky filter and pour it into a big pan along with the rice. Stir continuously and when the water is almost gone add 2  table spoons of ghee. Stir again until the pongal reaches a semi solid state and gets a glossy look. Then switch off the stove.

Heat 1 table spoon ghee, fry the cashewnuts and kismis and add to the pongal.