Coconut Payasam (Sweet Coconut Pudding)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon cashews, roughly chopped or halved
• 1 cup young coconut meat, diced
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup young coconut water
• Handful raisins, optional – see note
• 3 tablespoon demerara, coconut sugar or date sugar
• 5 cardamom pods
• Flesh from 1 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup rice vermicelli noodles, broken into 1/2 –inch pieces

Instructions

1. To open the coconut: use a sharp kitchen knife, cut into the young coconut until you reach it’s hard core. Using a rubber mallet, hit the top of the knife until you feel it break into the core. Spread apart the sides and allow coconut water to drain into a glass or mug.
2. Place the knife back into the slit and continue to hit the edge of the knife with the mallet until the coconut breaks in two. Alternatively, once you feel you’ve cut through it enough, you can pry the two sides apart.
3. Peel out the meat with a spoon and dice small.
4. In a medium sized saucepan combine ghee, cashews, and 3/4 cup of the coconut meat. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly until cashews are browned, about 2 minutes.
5. Add remaining ingredients except noodles. Bring mixture back to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. At the 5 minute mark, stir in vermicelli noodles and allow to cook. The mixture should begin to get thicker in the last 2 minutes. If it’s too thick for your liking, add a bit more coconut water until your desired consistency is reached.
7. Place remaining chopped coconut meat at the bottom of a serving bowl and drop payasam mixture over top. Serve with diced fruits, cinnamon or seeds sprinkled over top. Alternatively, separate the pasayam into 4 small dishes, one for each serving.

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Notes