Gothambu (Broken/Cracked Wheat) Payasam
Traditional Kerala Gothambu (Broken Wheat) Payasam, a delightful dessert for Onam, crafted with broken wheat, coconut milk, and jaggery in the authentic Kerala style.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Broken wheat
- 4 cups Water
- 500 gms Jaggery
- 1/2 cup Water
- 3.5 cups Medium thick coconut milk
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
- 3 Crushed Cardamom
- 1.5 – 2 tbsp Ghee
- 1/4 cup Cashew nuts
- 1/4 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup Thengakothu (coconut bits)
Instructions
- Pressure cook the cleaned broken wheat with 4 cups of water. I cooked it on high flame for around 6-7 whistles. Keep it closed for 15 mins. Drain if there is any excess water.
- Meanwhile, melt the jaggery with 1/2 cup water. Strain the melted jaggery.
- Combine the melted jaggery & cooked wheat. Add 1 tbsp of ghee to this. Cook this mixture, till the melted jaggery is completely dried and the mixture starts leaving the side of the pan.
- Add medium thick coconut milk to this & combine well. Let it boil. Cook till it becomes thick.
- When the mixture is reduced and attains thick consistency, add thick coconut milk. Give a good stir & mix well. Add crushed cardamom also. Let it cook for 5 more minutes on low flame & remove from fire. Keep in mind that the payasam tends to thicken as it cools.
- Heat 1/2 – 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan & fry the bite-size coconut pieces first, when it starts changing colour, add cashews & raisins also & fry it. Garnish the hot payasam with fried coconut pieces, raisins & cashews. Serve hot.
Notes
The color of the payasam very much depends on the type of jaggery used. I used coconut milk powder the second time. To make a cup of medium thick coconut milk, add 2 heaped tbsp of coconut milk powder to a cup of warm water. For a cup of thick coconut milk, add 3 heaped tbsp of coconut milk powder to a cup of warm water. You can increase or reduce the qty of ghee to suit your taste. Also, before adding melted jaggery to wheat, make sure that wheat is cooked well.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!