Add Flavours to Your Pongal Celebration with Chana Dal Payasam

Amongst all the traditional Pongal recipes, Chana Dal Payasam is a popular delicacy that has played a major role in keeping the tradition alive. It is not only served as a dessert but is also served as an offering to the deities.

Pongal is a harvest celebration dedicated to the Sun God that takes place in Tamil Nadu. Farmers celebrate it as a day of thanksgiving to the sun deity for their plentiful harvests and food plays a vital role in these celebrations, with different meals made on other days of the festival.

Here we are with an easy Chana Dal Payasam recipe that you can prepare at your home to have a quick sweet dish and make your Pongal all the more special.

The Bajaj 2310 ETC Microwave will come in quite handy to prepare this special dish effortlessly in your kitchen.

Below is the recipe for you. Take a look.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chana dal
• 2 cups milk
• 1 ½ cups jaggery or to taste
• ½ cup grated coconut or use 1 cup thin coconut milk
• Four cardamom pods, powdered
• 2 tbsps nuts of choice 
• 3 tbsp ghee
• Four ¼ cups water ( 2 ½ cups to cook dal, ¾ cup to melt jaggery & 1 cup to grind coconut)
• 1 tsp raisins optional

Making jaggery syrup

• If you're using jaggery powder, you may skip this step.

• However, if you're going to use the jaggery bricks, break them into small pieces first. We must now prepare jaggery syrup.

• Boil 12 cups of water in your Bajaj 2310 microwave, and then add the jaggery pieces to melt..

• Remove any contaminants from the jaggery by straining them.

Method to prepare:

• Fry the Chana dal for 4 minutes and soak it in water for 30 mins. Soaking for more time reduces the cooking time.

• In the meantime, boil the milk for 7 minutes.

• In another pan, melt cup jaggery with some water and let it cook for 3 minutes.

• Strain the jaggery syrup into the pan containing dal, mix well, and cook for a few minutes.

• Then cook along with the milk, Chana dal for 25 minutes.

• You can boil the milk along with Chana dal, but this way, all the milk would evaporate, so it is better to boil it separately.

• Stir in between once and put it back for the remaining time.

• Roast the cashew nuts and coconut in 1 tsp ghee and keep it aside.

• When the Chana dal is cooked, add these roasted nuts and cook in the Microwave Oven for 5 more minutes.
• Serve it hot

Tips to give your payasam a magical taste!

• Make sure you are using good quality chana dal.

• Before cooking, toast the chana dal in ghee. The flavor of the payasam is improved by toasting the dal.

• Use freshly ground coconut for this recipe.

• A good quantity of ghee and nuts will enhance the taste of your payasam.

Notes

• It is essential to not overcook the dal.

• The color of the payasam is mainly determined by the type of jaggery used.

• After adding the dal to the jaggery syrup, continue the entire process at a low flame and keep stirring.

• Dark jaggery is the preferred choice. It tastes better and gives the sweets a lovely color.

• Payasam can be made with only ordinary milk or coconut milk.

• After you have added coconut milk, don’t boil it for too long as it will start to curdle.

• Adjust jaggery as per your taste, we liked ours sweet.

• You can add ginger powder to give your payasam a great flavor. Edible camphor can do the trick too.

Viola! Your Chana Dal Payasam is ready to be served. Time to celebrate Pongal with a great feast :-)