Ethakkaya (Banana) Payasam

Wishing you all belated Happy and Prosperous season of Onam !!!
Onam is a festival of prosperity and cultural unity and is celebrated across the globe. This season is also special for its variety of food which we all cherish for the rest of the year and eagerly wait for the next Onam :-) In Kerala, this season brings in the celebration which lasts for one full week. In spite of all the fast life and rushes, Keralites still make it a point to celebrate Onam wherever they are in the world.

I tasted this payasam for the first time when my Aunt brought this home for Eid and I liked it a lot. I thought of making this on my own for Onam and now I am sharing this recipe with you. This is going to be a treat for all my friends who has a sweet tooth.

For Onam, we had two  types of payasams made at home. My M-I-L made the Cheru Payar Payasam, whose recipe I had already shared with you in my Vishu post.

Ingredients:

1. Ethakkaya / Kerala Banana (cut into small pieces)- 1no
2. Coconut pieces- a handful
3. Coconut Milk (thick)- ½ cup
4. Coconut Milk (thin)- 1cup
5. Jaggery (grated)- ½ cup
6. Ghee / Clarified Butter- 1tbsp
7. Cashew nuts- few
8. Rice Flour- 2tbsp

Method:

1. Add some water to the grated jaggery and heat it on a low flame until it fully melts and then strain and keep it aside.
2. Heat ghee in an Urali or a non stick kadai and fry the coconut pieces and cashew nuts and keep it aside.
3. In the same ghee fry the banana pieces and when it turns light brown in colour add the melted jaggery  and mix well (adjust the sweetness according to your taste).
4. Let the banana pieces cook in this jaggery mixture for some time and add half of the thin coconut milk and let it cook.
5. In the other half thin coconut milk add the rice flour and mix well without any lumps. Add this in the above payasam mixture and put it on low flame till it thickens a little.
6. At this stage we can add little more melted jaggery if needed.
7. At last add the thick coconut milk, stir and switch off the flame.
8. In this sprinkle the fried coconut pieces and cashew nuts and serve hot.

Note:

1. Rice flour is added so as to thicken the payasam.
2. After adding the thick coconut milk do not boil. Just heat that and switch of, otherwise the payasam will curdle.