Broken Wheat Payasam

Ingredients

• Broken wheat (nurukku godambhu) - 1 cup
• Water (for cooking broken wheat) - 3 cup
• Jaggery - 250 g
• Water (for jaggery syrup) - 1/4 cup
• Thick coconut milk (first extracted milk) - 1 cup
• Coconut milk (second extracted milk) - 2 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder (elakka) - 1 tsp
• Dry ginger powder (chukku podi) - 1/4 tsp
• Jeera powder (jeerakam) - 1/4 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 50 g
• Raisins - 50 g
• Ghee - 2 tbsp

Instructions

1. 1Place the broken wheat and 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker and cook for 3-4 whistles, until the wheat is tender and most of the water is absorbed.
2. 2While the wheat cooks, make the jaggery syrup: combine the jaggery and 1/4 cup of water in a small pan, warm gently until the jaggery melts, then strain the syrup to remove any impurities.
3. 3Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins until the cashews are golden and the raisins are plump; transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
4. 4Transfer the cooked wheat to a wide, heavy-bottomed pan, add the strained jaggery syrup and stir continuously over medium heat until the mixture thickens; while stirring, add the remaining 1 tbsp ghee to enrich the texture.
5. 5Pour in the second extracted coconut milk and bring the mixture to a boil, then let it cook for 2 minutes so the flavors marry.
6. 6Remove the pan from the heat before adding the thick coconut milk; stir the thick coconut milk in gently and do not boil after adding it, then return the pan to the lowest heat only if needed to warm through.
7. 7Stir in the cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and jeera powder, mixing well so the spices perfume the payasam.
8. 8Garnish with the fried cashews and raisins and serve the payasam warm.
9. 9Optional: drizzle a little extra warm ghee over each serving for a glossy finish and deeper flavor.