Parangikai Payasam Recipe – Pumpkin Payasam

Parangikai Payasam is the easiest and the most healthiest payasam one can think of. Pumpkin is used very commonly in a variety of dishes in a South Indian cuisine. The main reason for me to use pumpkin was that it adds an extra nutritional value to the dish.  Course : Dessert Ingridients : 1 cup Kaddu (Parangikai/ Pumpkin) , grated 2 1/2 cups Milk , full cream milk 12 Whole Almonds (Badam) 6 Cashew nuts 3 Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds 10 Sultana Raisins 5 tablespoons Jaggery , adjust according to your taste 1/2 teaspoon Ghee 2 tablespoons Milk Powder , for thicker consistency Instructions To begin making Parangikai Payasam, first heat one and a half cup of milk in a heavy bottomed pan and add the grated pumpkin to it. Allow the pumpkin to cook in the milk for 2-3 minutes. Add the almonds, cardamom, cashews and allow them to cook along with the pumpkin.Continue to cook the pumpkin and milk mixture for another 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring in between. Once the pumpkin becomes soft and is cooked, turn off the flame and allow it to cool. After this mixture cools down, transfer it into a mixer-jar and grind into a fine paste.Heat one cup of milk in a saucepan on medium heat, and add the ground pumpkin paste to it. Mix well and allow it to cook for for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.. Once the milk and the pumpkin has come to a boil add jaggery and mix well. Switch off the flame and stir until the jaggery is well dissolved. Stir it and then add raisins.Garnish with almonds.Serve Parangikai Payasam as a healthy and delicious dessert after a weekday meal of Kongunadu Special Thakkali Kurma with lachha paratha.