Moong Dal Payasam with Desi Cow Ghee

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Traditional Tamil Nadu Recipe • Desi Cow Ghee

Moong Dal Payasam

The gentle, golden payasam made from moong dal and jaggery — finished with a lavish pour of desi cow ghee and fried cashews. A Tamil Nadu temple offering at its purest.

5Min Prep
25Min Cook
4Servings
“Moong dal payasam is what temples serve. When you add the ghee at the very end — hot ghee over hot payasam — it makes a sound like a blessing. My grandmother said that sound means the food is pure.”

Ingredients

Yellow moong dal, dry roasted until golden ½ cup
Jaggery, grated ¾ cup
Thick coconut milk 1 cup
Water 2 cups
Cardamom powder ½ tsp
Sree Kumaran Desi Cow Ghee 2 tbsp
Cashews and raisins 2 tbsp each

Method

  1. Dry roast moong dal in a pan until light golden and fragrant. Pressure cook with 2 cups of water for 3 whistles. The dal should be completely soft and slightly mushy.
  2. Dissolve jaggery in ¼ cup warm water and strain. Set aside.
  3. Mash the cooked dal lightly and transfer to a heavy pan. Add the jaggery syrup and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes until combined and thickened.
  4. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut milk and cardamom powder. Return to the lowest heat and warm gently for 2 minutes without boiling.
  5. In a small pan, heat ghee and fry cashews until golden, add raisins until puffed. Pour the entire contents — ghee, cashews and raisins — directly into the hot payasam. Stir and serve immediately.
Chef’s Note

The dry roasting of the dal before cooking is the difference between a good moong dal payasam and a great one. It develops a nutty depth that plain boiled dal never has. And never skip the ghee pour at the end — it is not a garnish, it is the soul of the dish.

Made with Sree Kumaran Desi Cow Ghee

Traditional method • Pure desi cow • No preservatives • Since 1945

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