Ingredients

For Coconut Milk

To make the coconut milk

1. Grate the coconut.
2. Add 1 cup warm water to the grated coconut and blend it to a smooth paste.
3. Strain the blended mixture and squeeze the residue to extract the milk. 
4. Add the strained coconut and the remaining 1 cup water to the blender to extract the milk again. Ensure that the milk is of thick consistency.

Directions

1. 1. 1. 1. Wash and Soak dal for 2 hrs.
         2. Add 2 cups of water to the dal and pressure cook until 3 whistles
         3. Strain the excess water after cooking the dal. 
         4. Wash and soak sabudana (sago) and keep aside for 20 – 25 minutes.
         5. In a vessel two cups of water and bring it to boil. Now are sabudana (Sago) and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until sabudana or sago becomes transparent.
         6. Add dal and let simmer of 5 minutes.
         7. Add Cashews and raisins .
         8. Switch off the flame
         9. Now add coconut pieces, date paste, cinnamon and nutmeg powder
         10. Add coconut milk and give it a nice stir
         11. Creamy and delicious Channa dal paysam is ready to serve.

 Notes

• Use the excess strained water from the channa dal to prepare any vegetable or dal. Do not throw it away.
• We to cook channa dal until its soft but it should retain its form
• Coconut pieces are added to give little texture and paysam being  creamy and pulpy we don’t gulp it down in one go. Coconut pieces and cashews adds to the taste but also helps in slowing down the eating process. We tend to it more mindfully.
• You may also add turmeric leaf for aroma.
• Date paste is always added after switching off the flame as the sweetness of the dates is reduced after heating is too much. The heat in the pot is sufficient to get the dates to be cooked.  
• Coconut milk tends to curdle when heated or when get mixed with raisins or jaggery so its advisable to add coconut milk after switching off the flame. The heat in the pot is sufficient to get the coconut to be cooked.  It also retains mild sweetness and creaminess of coconut and enhances the flavor of the dessert.

Contributor : Deepali Goankar