chana dal payasam recipe with step by step photos. payasam is the south indian version of kheer made with milk or coconut milk as one of the main ingredient. this chana dal payasam also known as kadalai paruppu payasam is a delicious payasam variety made with coconut milk, chana dal, jaggery and cardamom powder.
in south india payasam is made during auspicious or festive occasions and even served as an offering to the deities. payasam can also be served as a dessert after meals. during festive occasions most of the times i make kheer or payasam as they are easy to make. thus i make variety of payasams.
different types of payasams are made in south india. i have already shared some popular payasams varieties like paal payasam, semiya payasam, moong dal payasam, nei payasam, carrot payasam, rice payasam, arisi thengai and ada pradhaman.
this chana dal payasam is an easy and tasty recipe. in the recipe, i have used homemade coconut milk, but you can also use store brought thick coconut milk.
serve chana dal payasam hot or warm or chilled. left over payasam can be refrigerated once it comes to room temperature.
if you are looking for more delicious kheer recipes then do check:
chana dal payasam
INGREDIENTS FOR chana dal payasam
for pressure cooking chana dal
- ½ cup chana dal or 100 grams chana dal (husked and split bengal gram)
- 1 cup water to be added in the pan containing chana dal
- 1.5 cups water to be added in the pressure cooker
other ingredients for chana dal payasam
- ½ cup thin coconut milk or second or third extract of coconut milk or water
- ¾ cup jaggery powder or grated jaggery
- 1 cup thick coconut milk or first extract, 250 ml
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
- 12 to 15 cashews (kaju)
- 1 tablespoon raisins (kishmish)
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or seeds of 4 to 5 green cardamoms, crushed in a mortar pestle
HOW TO MAKE chana dal payasam
cooking chana dal
- rinse ½ cup chana dal a couple of times in water and then soak chana dal for 2 to 3 hours. you can even soak for 30 minutes and then pressure cook. soaking for more time reduce the cooking time. you can also pressure cook the chana dal directly.
- then drain all the water from the soaked chana dal.
- take the chana dal in a pan or vessel which will fit inside the pressure cooker. also add 1 cup water.
- add 1.5 cups water in the pressure cooker. then place this pan or vessel in the pressure cooker.
- pressure cook the soaked chana dal for 4 to 5 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes on medium flame. if you are pressure cooking the dal directly then cook for 5 to 6 whistles or for 10 to 12 minutes.
- you can also cook the lentils directly in the cooker, in this case add 1.5 cups of water to the lentils then pressure cook. the lentils can be cooked in a pan too but it will take a longer time.
- when the pressure settle down on its own, remove the lid of pressure cooker and check the chana dal. the lentils should be cooked well.
- if the chana dal is not cooked then add some more water to the dal and in the pressure cooker and cook till done. but don't over cook. the chana dal should not be too pasty or lumpy.
making chana dal payasam
- pour the entire contents of the small vessel (cooked chana dal + water) in another pan or kadai.
- mash the chana dal with a spoon.
- add ½ cup thin coconut milk. you can also add water instead of thin coconut milk.
- next add ¾ cup jaggery powder. for a less sweet taste, you can add ½ cup grated jaggery or jaggery powder, stir well.
- keep the pan or kadai on stove top on a low flame and begin to heat this mixture. mix well and stir so that the jaggery dissolves.
- once all the jaggery dissolves, then add 1 cup thick coconut milk.
- mix very well and gently heat for a minute or two. switch off the flame and place aside. do not over heat or boil as the coconut milk might curdle.
tempering for chana dal payasam
- in a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil. add 12 to 15 cashews. fry till the cashews begin to get golden.
- once the cashews start becoming golden, add 1 tablespoon raisins and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- fry the raisins till they plump and swell.
- now pour the entire content of the tadka pan (coconut oil+cashews+raisins) in the chana dal payasam.
- mix very well and serve chana dal payasam hot or warm or chilled. left over chana dal payasam can be refrigerated once it comes to room temperature.
preparation to make kadalai paruppu payasam
1. rinse ½ cup chana dal a couple of times in water and then soak chana dal for 2 to 3 hours. you can even soak for 30 minutes and then pressure cook. soaking for more time reduce the cooking time. you can also pressure cook the chana dal directly. i prefer soaking the dal first as it takes lesser time to cook. but you can skip this step and directly pressure cook the dal.
2. then drain all the water.
3. take the chana dal in a pan or vessel which will fit inside the pressure cooker. also add 1 cup water.
4. add 1.5 cups water in the pressure cooker. then place this pan or vessel in the pressure cooker.
5. pressure cook the soaked chana dal for 4 to 5 whistles or for 9 to 10 minutes on medium flame. if you are pressure cooking the dal directly (without soaking) then cook for 5 to 6 whistles or for 10 to 12 minutes. you can also cook the lentils directly in the cooker, in this case add 1.5 cups of water to the lentils and then pressure cook. the lentils can be cooked in a pan too but it will take a longer time.
6. meanwhile measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making chana dal payasam.
7. when the pressure settle down on its own, remove the lid and check the dal. the lentils should be cooked well. if the dal is not cooked then add some more water to the dal and in the pressure cooker and cook till done. but don’t over cook. the chana dal should not be too pasty or lumpy.
making kadalai paruppu payasam
8. once chana dal is cooked, then pour the entire contents of the small vessel (cooked chana dal + water) in another pan or kadai.
9. mash the chana dal with a spoon.
10. add ½ cup thin coconut milk. if you are using store bought coconut milk then add water instead of thin coconut milk.
11. next add ¾ cup jaggery powder. for a less sweet taste, you can add ½ cup grated jaggery or jaggery powder. if the jaggery you use has a lot of impurities then heat the jaggery in ⅓ cup water on a low flame. stir till the jaggery melts. then filter and use this syrup.
12. stir and mix very well.
13. keep the pan or kadai on stove top on a low flame and begin to heat this mixture.
14. once all the jaggery dissolves, then add 1 cup thick coconut milk.
15. mix very well and gently heat for a minute or two. switch off the flame and place aside. do not over heat or boil as the coconut milk might curdle.
tempering for kadalai paruppu payasam
16. in a small pan or tadka pan, heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil. instead of coconut oil you can also use ghee.
17. add 12 to 15 cashews. fry till the cashews begin to get golden.
18. once the cashews start becoming golden, add 1 tablespoon raisins and ½ teaspoon cardamom powder. fry the raisins till they plump and swell.
19. now pour the entire content of the tadka pan (coconut oil+cashews+raisins) in the payasam.
20. mix very well.
21. serve kadalai paruppu payasam hot or warm or chilled. left over chana dal payasam can be refrigerated once it comes to room temperature. for more delicious sweets recipes you can check this collection of 121 diwali sweets recipes.
Tried this new style of Payasam. It was yummy and my family loved it.
thanks chitkala and glad to know. happy cooking.
Hi
Can I use normal milk instead of coconut milk??
with milk you have to be careful as jaggery can curdle milk. so i would suggest you to add milk first and let the payasam become hot. then switch off the flame and wait for 5 to 6 minutes. then add the jaggery. the milk should not be very hot when you add jaggery.
Hi dassana, wishing you and your lovely family happy Diwali and a a prosperous New year… Take care
Thanks Marina for your best wishes. Wishing Happy Diwali to you and your family.