Payasam or kheer is a commonly prepared dish typically served as dessert in Indian cuisine. While there are umpteen ways to prepare payasam with numerous variations, the basic recipe calls for the use of either rice, wheat, or pulses along with milk and sugar and is generally flavoured with cardamom, saffron, cashews and raisins. This dessert is customarily prepared for all festive occasions.
Given my love for healthy and wholesome ingredients, I am always on the look out for ways to tweak these recipes in order to boost their nutritional value. So more often than not, I end up using broken wheat or millets instead of rice, jaggery instead of sugar and whole nuts instead of raisins.
I recently received a sample of Sprig’s Banoffee and per their website, the spread is best enjoyed with ice cream as a decadent dessert. It also mentions that Banoffee could be used on warm buttered toast, topped over a cake, filled in pies or crepes or drizzled over puddings and custard as well.
Banoffee is essentially banana and caramel that have been whipped together to a truly luscious creamy texture which I thought was a perfect fit for Indian desserts as well. The subtle flavor of banana blending into the caramel makes this spread one of those ‘finger licking’ goodies that would prompt you to tiptoe into the kitchen and secretly devor a spoon or two!
But, here is a healthy payasam recipe with Banoffee that you can indulge guilt free.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup broken wheat
- 3 tbsp freshly grated coconut
- 3 tbsp Banoffee
- 1 tbsp Jaggery
- 4-6 Almonds
- 4-6 Walnuts
- 4-6 Pecans
- 4-6 Cashews
- 1 tsp ghee
Method:
- Pressure cook the broken wheat and transfer to a thick bottomed pan.
- Divide the entire quantity of nuts/dry fruits into two parts.
- Add one part to the blender and grind with the coconut to form a smooth paste. Add water as required.
- Add this mixture to the broken wheat and cook over a low flame.
- Add 3 tbsp of Banoffee and stir till it blends completely.
- Add 1 tbsp of jaggery and boil for 2-3 minutes till the texture is thick and creamy.
- Before serving, heat a tsp of ghee in a small pan and add the remaining nuts. Roast till golden brown and pour over the payasam.
Some nutritional benefits:
- Broken wheat is a whole grain rich in fiber and a good source of magnesium and iron. It aids in weight loss and is beneficial for people suffering from diabetes.
- Pecans are high in healthy unsaturated fat and hence great for heart health. With over 19 vitamins and minerals, it has immense anti-inflammatory properties and is known to strengthen the immune system.
- Almonds are a rich source of calcium apart from helping lower bad cholestrol.
- Walnuts are high in omega 3 fats and antioxidants.
- Jaggery which is a natural sweetner aids digestion and is a great detox as it helps cleanse the liver of all toxins.
Notes:
- You can substitute broken wheat with foxtail millet.
- Depending on the level of sweetness you desire you can increase the quantity of Banoffee and jaggery.
- You could add a cup of fresh milk while boiling and also a pinch of cardamom for additional flavor.
- Nuts/dry fruits can be used per your choice; you could add raisins too.
- You can substitute freshly grated coconut with store bought coconut milk.
- Alternatively you can strain the ground mixture of coconuts and dry fruits to extract only the coconut milk. I used the mixture as is, as I prefer a thick, ‘nutty’ consistency and this way the fiber of the ingredients is not lost.
So, I hope you try this recipe soon, do let me know if you make further variations and add other ingredients. Would love to know your ideas!
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Disclaimer: This post is in collaboration with Sprig but the recipe, views and opinions are my own after personally sampling the product.