Friday, August 11, 2006

EethappazhamPayasam/Dates Pudding

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According to the Arabic legends,"After God had finished moulding Man from earth, He took the remaining material and shaped it into a date palm which he placed in the Garden of Paradise(Eden)".Dates are indeed heavenly.It is considered to be one of the earliest fruits that existed on earth.Archaeologists have found out wild date seeds dating back to 50,000 yrs in some parts of Northern Iraq.
  • EdakkalCaves
  • in the Wayanad district of Kerala(in Malabar region) is believed to be the abode of Neolithic man.The cave is situated on an ancient route connecting the high ranges of Mysore to the port of Malabar.Interestingly the drawings at Edakkal depicts date palm trees as well.So perhaps Malabar's acquaintance with dates 'dates' back to centuries and might have come from the Arabic influence...

    I remember dates was often an inevitable item in my mother's pantry...The shops flood with dates especially during the Ramzan season.My mom used to make several dishes out of dates when we were kids.Dates filled chicken roast,dates pickle,dates payasam etc....Malabar Biriyani was often served with accompaniments like date pickle(shall post some day),onion raita and a suleimani tea.Eethappazham payasam is again another childhood memory for me...A simple milk pudding with dates added...I have made it a little richer with a slight change in the ingredients that my mom used.So here is the recipe for Eethappazha payasam.

    Ingredients:

    Dates-100g(chopped0
    Sago/Sabu dana-100g
    Milk-1 1/2 cup
    Condensed milk-100ml
    Sugar-1 cup( or as u require)
    Cardamom-1/2 tsp
    Butter-25g
    Raisins-20g
    Cashewnuts-20g

    Method:

    Cook cleaned chopped dates along with sago and milk on slow fire until sago becomes soft and transluscent.Now add condensed milk and sugar and reduce it to the required consistency by cooking on slow fire.Add cardamom powder and mix well.Remove from the fire.Now heat butter in a small wok.When the butter has melted add raisins and cashew nut and roast them to a golden brown tinge.Add this seasoning to the payasam. Mix well and serve it hot or cold.Those who like the saffron flavour may add 2 strands of saffron as well.

    15 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Eethappazham Payasam, PrawnPepper Fry & curry, Thai Mushroom Curry, Veg Satay,Dal Bhuna Gosht, Jamuns, Crab Manchurian MMMMM !!!! Iam sure your "Guinea Pig" is having Royal Feast everyday and enjoying every bit of it.

    Rajesh &Shankari said...

    This is torture..I get hungry more & more..can u pls pls post the recipe for the dates payasam

    indianadoc said...

    >Hahaha!!Priya my guinea pig has become a Pig now and I have become another piggy! So since last week we both have become 'gymmies'!! Eat royally and Sweat royally!!;)
    >Shankari this is a sweet torture..and u too are nothing less!! Oh definitely I shall post...my cooking n pics get ready fast,but writing....little lazy :(

    Maddy said...

    hey, first i thought it was semiya payasam - BTW was that a glass mani??

    indosungod said...

    Shynee the payasam looks super delicious. Also thanks for the
    "Kozhi Varuthathu-A very hot chicken!" recipe, I made this at home and it vanished even before I could take pictures.

    Menu Today said...

    Hi,
    I am waiting for your "dates payasam" recipe.

    indianadoc said...

    >yes maddy it looks like semiyapayasam...it is actually candle stand which looks like a bell.
    >thanx indosun and happy to know that you guys enjoyed the chicken fry....I know, i know it vanishes easily!! ;)
    >thanx for dropping in and I'm happy to post the recipe... :)

    Krithika said...

    Dates pudding looks delicious.

    RP said...

    That looks heavenly!!
    Hey I recently made something with dates too. LOL believe it or not. It is a fruit cake(I have blogged the recipe long time ago). This time I used only dates and nuts. So it kinda turned out like a date cake. Yummy!

    Rajesh &Shankari said...

    yummy, I think I will try this tomorrow

    mathew said...

    slurp!!!!! ;)

    Unknown said...

    This sounds like a must try.vwvpk

    Anonymous said...

    ooooooh i didnt know that about dates...

    It is eenthappazham right? or is it called eethappazham without the 'n' ?

    i have never event asted this :(
    We dont get good dates here.

    Anonymous said...

    hello Shynee, what is "sago/sabu dana"??
    thanx in advance,
    Swapna...

    indianadoc said...

    >thanx krithika...
    >RP,u too 'dating'!! ;)I should check u'r date cake...
    >shankari,pl do try...tis so simple
    >LG, we call it 'eethappazham'...Very sweet and there are plenty of varieties too...I think u get good quality dates in these middle east shops(My cousins used to bring it from Dubai!)...here it is available in most of the supermarkets...I wish I cd pop a few dates into u'r mouth.
    >Mathayicha, entha parayendathu!!
    >Swapna,sago is pearly white starchy granules obtained from sago palm.It is called saboonari in malayalam,sabu dana in Hindi.It is used as a thickening agent in gravy and in payasam/kheer.You can also use Tapioca granules instead of Sago, if available.I think it is very commonly available in most of the supermarkets...