In my mind, Godamba Payasam is inextricably linked with fond memories. It is cooked often in my home in Thalassery on festivals and other important events. I remember the effort my grandmother used to put into getting the right quality of wheat berry since it is a hardy grain and to get the right texture, you need to soak it diligently. I find it difficult to source the tender variety of wheat berry, so I often substitute it with broken wheat.
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Serves
4
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Cook Time
01 h 00 m
Ingredients
- 2 cups thin extract of coconut milk
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
- ½ cup wheat berry
- ¼ cup thinly sliced coconut
- 180 gm jaggery, melted
- 4 cloves
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- Ghee for frying coconut slices
Preparation
- Soak wheat berries overnight in water. Don’t scrimp on this because the berries take time to cook.
- The next morning, pressure-cook the wheat berries with enough water, cinnamon and cloves, until the berries are done. This should take almost 14 whistles.
- Next, boil the wheat berries in a pan with thin coconut milk extract, all the while stirring it.
- Pour in melted jaggery and continue cooking on slow fire, while stirring frequently.
- Once it attains a creamy consistency, tip in the thick coconut milk and let it gently simmer on low flame. Do not cook on high flame or the coconut milk might curdle.
- Stir in the cardamom powder, before taking the payasam off the flame.
- Fry the coconut slices in ghee until golden. Garnish the payasam with them.
Note: To make jaggery syrup, cook ¾ kg jaggery in ½ cup of water on slow fire until it melts. Once cool, strain it out to remove impurities.
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