Mung Bean & Coconut Pudding(Pasi Paruppu, thengai Payasam) with Jaggery(Panela) as Sweetener

When Raven asked me If I am interested in hosting Cook Eat Delicious Desserts, I was really thrilled to get this opportunity.  I used to love and still love sweet dishes but I have this bad habit of subscribing to lot of health food News letters and also reading them.  The more and more you read, you think twice, thrice to consume white sugar. Just check out this article in New York Times to read about a very interesting article on Sugar. May be all these problems might or might not occur for every one and only after couple of years, we might know about it. One thing was sure for me, once I start eating something with Sugar, it makes me to crave for more sweet dishes and now I have stopped sugar from my diet. I no longer have that craving for something sweet.  I make desserts once in a while and now make them with alternate sweeteners instead of sugar  which doesn’t make you to crave for more and more.
Traditionally most of Indian desserts are sweetened with Jaggery(Panela) which is rich in trace minerals, Iron and doesn’t cause cavities like refined sugar.  Also there are lot of Indian desserts which are bean and coconut based so are gluten free and also rich in protein. But keep in mind, a dessert can be whole some and healthy but still it is a dessert so limit the quantity.

Preparation Time – 5 Minutes
Cooking Time – 20-30 Minutes
Serves – 3 to 4

Ingredients

Mung Bean/ Mung Dal – 3/4 Cup
Split Channa Dal – 1 heaped Tbsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup Heaped (Increase this to 3/4 Cup or 1 Cup depending on your taste)
Coconut – 1 Cup firmly packed + 1 Tbsp
Water – 3/4 Cup for grinding the coconut + and as required for boiling the bean and more to adjust the thickness as desired.
Cardamom pods – 1/2 Tsp(Shelled and the black seeds)
Cashews – 10 toasted
Saffron – few strands(this is not traditionally used, but I love the flavor of saffron so add it)

Method

1) Dry roast mung bean and split channa dal till slightly brown and aromatic. Make sure to stir in between and roast on a medium heat as they become black very quickly.
2) Now soak the roasted dal in some warm water and keep it aside. This soaking for some time will help out to cook quickly. Meanwhile grate the coconut and grind it with 3/4 cup of water and cardamom seeds into a smooth paste and set it aside.
3) Break the cashews into half and in a toaster toast till slightly golden/brown or add a tsp of ghee(clarified butter) and roast till golden.
4) Add the saffron strands and cook soaked beans on medium heat adding enough water till the beans are soft and mushy. Now add the powdered jaggery and simmer till the jaggery is well dissolved.
5) Now add the ground coconut paste and simmer for few minutes and add more or less water depending on the thickness you like.
6) Add the toasted nuts and serve it.

Events

This goes to Cook Eat Delicious Desserts – Refined Sugar & flour free whole some desserts an event hosted by me and started by Raven.
Sending this to Holi fest event hosted by Kalyani of Sizzling Taste buds.

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