The Sweet Side of Onam: 5 Traditional Payasams

Every Onam Sadya ends the same way — not with one dessert, but several payasams, each built on a completely different base: milk, dal, fruit, or grain. Here are four that show just how wide that range really is.

1. Palada Payasam (Rice Flakes in Sweetened Milk)

Palada Payasam is Kerala’s classic milk pudding — soft rice flakes (ada) simmered in milk and sugar until the whole thing turns a gentle rose-pink from the long, slow cooking.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Rice ada (rice flakes) — ½ cup
• Full-fat milk — 6 cups
• Sugar — ¾ cup
• Ghee — 1 tbsp
• Cashews — 2 tbsp
• Raisins — 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder — ¼ tsp

Get the ingredients here

Method

1. Soak the rice ada in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse.
2. Boil the ada in fresh water for 6-8 minutes until softened but not fully cooked.
3. Drain and rinse the ada under cold water to remove excess starch.
4. In a heavy-bottomed pan, bring the milk to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
5. Add the softened ada to the milk.
6. Simmer on low heat, stirring often, until the milk thickens and turns a pale golden-pink — this takes 25-30 minutes.
7. Stir in the sugar and mix until dissolved.
8. Heat ghee in a small pan.
9. Fry the cashews and raisins until golden.
10. Add the cardamom powder to the payasam and mix well.
11. Pour the fried cashews and raisins over the top just before serving.

Tip: The pink hue comes purely from slow reduction, not any added colour — the longer and gentler the simmer, the deeper the pink.

2. Parippu Payasam (Moong Dal in Jaggery & Coconut Milk)

Where Palada leans on dairy, Parippu Payasam goes the other way entirely — moong dal cooked soft, then simmered in jaggery syrup and coconut milk for a deeper, more rustic sweetness.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Split yellow moong dal — 1 cup
• Water — 3 cups (for cooking dal)
• Jaggery, grated — 1½ cups
• Water — ½ cup (for jaggery syrup)
• Thin coconut milk — 1 cup
• Thick coconut milk — ½ cup
• Ghee — 2 tbsp
• Cashews — 2 tbsp
• Coconut, cut into small bits — 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder — ¼ tsp

Get the ingredients here

Method

1. Dry roast the moong dal in a pan until lightly golden and fragrant.
2. Add water and pressure-cook until tender, then set aside.
3. Melt the jaggery with ½ cup water in a separate pan over low heat.
4. Strain the jaggery syrup to remove any impurities.
5. Add the cooked dal to the jaggery syrup.
6. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring gently.
7. Pour in the thin coconut milk and simmer for 7-8 minutes.
8. Add the thick coconut milk and stir through — do not let it boil hard.
9. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more, then turn off the heat.
10. Stir in the cardamom powder.
11. Heat ghee in a small pan and fry the cashews and coconut bits until golden.
12. Pour the fried garnish over the payasam.

Tip: Add the thick coconut milk last and keep the heat low — boiling it hard can cause the milk to split.

3. Chakka Varatti Payasam (Ripe Jackfruit in Jaggery & Coconut Milk)

Chakka Payasam channels the season’s sweetest fruit straight into dessert — ripe jackfruit cooked down, pureed, and folded into jaggery and coconut milk for a tropical, fragrant payasam unlike anything rice- or dal-based.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Ripe jackfruit (deseeded) — 1½ cups
• Water — 2 tbsp (for cooking jackfruit)
• Jaggery, grated — ½ cup
• Water — ¼ cup (for jaggery syrup)
• Thick coconut milk — 1 cup
• Ghee — 1 tsp
• Cashews — 2 tbsp
• Coconut, cut into small bits — 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder — ¼ tsp

Get the ingredients here

Method

1. Pressure cook the jackfruit with 2 tablespoons of water for 2 whistles, until soft.
2. Let it cool, then drain and blend into a smooth puree.
3. Melt the jaggery with ¼ cup water in a separate pan.
4. Strain the jaggery syrup and heat until it starts to bubble.
5. Add the jackfruit puree to the jaggery syrup.
6. Mix well and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
7. Stir in the coconut milk.
8. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes — avoid a hard boil once the coconut milk is in.
9. Turn off the heat and stir in the cardamom powder.
10. Heat ghee in a small pan and fry the cashews and coconut bits until golden.
11. Pour the fried garnish over the payasam.

Tip: The sweetness of jackfruit varies a lot by ripeness — taste the puree before adding the full amount of jaggery, and adjust down if the fruit is already very sweet.

4. Gothambu Payasam (Broken Wheat in Jaggery & Coconut Milk)

The least dairy-forward of the four, Gothambu Payasam swaps rice or dal for broken wheat, giving it a heartier bite and a slightly nutty flavour that holds its own against the jaggery and coconut milk.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 35 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Broken wheat (gothambu) — 1 cup
• Water — 4 cups (for cooking wheat)
• Jaggery, grated — 2 cups
• Water — ½ cup (for jaggery syrup)
• Thin coconut milk — 1 cup
• Thick coconut milk — ½ cup
• Ghee — 2 tbsp
• Cashews — 2 tbsp
• Raisins — 1 tbsp
• Coconut, cut into small bits — 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder — ¼ tsp

Get the ingredients here

Method

1. Wash the broken wheat thoroughly.
2. Pressure cook with water until soft, about 6-7 whistles.
3. Melt the jaggery with ½ cup water in a separate pan, then strain.
4. Combine the melted jaggery with the cooked wheat in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan.
5. Cook on low heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly.
6. Pour in the thin coconut milk and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
7. Add the thick coconut milk and stir gently — do not let it come to a hard boil.
8. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more, then turn off the heat.
9. Stir in the cardamom powder.
10. Heat ghee in a small pan and fry the cashews, raisins, and coconut bits until golden.
11. Pour the fried garnish over the payasam.

Tip: Roasting the broken wheat lightly in ghee before pressure cooking gives it a rounder, nuttier flavour — worth the extra two minutes.

5. Ada Pradhaman (Rice Flake Payasam in Coconut Milk & Jaggery)

Called the king of Kerala’s desserts, Ada Pradhaman layers soft rice flakes (ada) into a slow-cooked broth of jaggery and coconut milk, finished with cashews, raisins, and coconut bits fried in ghee.

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 25 mins | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Rice ada (rice flakes) — ½ cup
• Jaggery, grated — 1 cup
• Water — ¼ cup (for jaggery syrup)
• Thick coconut milk — 1 cup
• Thin coconut milk — 2 cups
• Ghee — 2 tbsp
• Cashews — 2 tbsp
• Raisins — 2 tbsp
• Coconut, cut into small bits — 2 tbsp
• Cardamom powder — ¼ tsp

Get the ingredients here

Method

1. Boil the rice ada in water until soft, then drain and rinse.
2. Melt the jaggery in ¼ cup water over low heat to form a syrup, then strain to remove impurities.
3. Add the cooked ada to the jaggery syrup.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Pour in the thin coconut milk and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
6. Add the thick coconut milk and stir gently.
7. Simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes — do not let it boil hard, or the coconut milk may curdle.
8. Stir in the cardamom powder.
9. Heat ghee in a small pan.
10. Fry the cashews, raisins, and coconut bits until golden.
11. Pour the fried garnish over the payasam just before serving.

Tip: Add the thick coconut milk last and keep the heat low — this is the step that most often goes wrong and splits the milk.

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