Elaneer Payasam | Tender Coconut Kheer

The choice for ‘E’ was this easy dessert from the region I am now staying in. The moment I made the list, this was decided and did not change it even though all the other alphabets underwent multiple changes over the month’s of planning and prepping.

E- Elaneer Payasam
Theme – Regional / Kongunad

I have already written about the famous Kongunad region and its cuisine, but here is a gist…

Kongunad is the homeland of the Tamilians and dates back to the 8th centuary AD.It comprised of Palani, Dharapuram, Karur, Namakkal, Thiruchengodu, Erode,Selam,Dharmapuri, Coimbatore, Avinasi, Nilgiris,Pollachi and Udumalpet [All these places are in Tamilnadu-South India]

Before I start off with the recipe,a word about the lesser-known freedom fighters from the kongu soil.

Two brave men – Theeran Chinnamalai and Tiruppur Kumaran have given their share to the freedom struggle.

Kongunadu cuisine is extensive for the simple reason that kongunadu covers a vast area.

This cuisine does not involve marinating and has its own nativity and style.The use of turmeric,groundnut paste to curries give it a unique texture and flavor.This is a very healthy cuisine owing to the use of millets, pulses, sesame and less amounts of oil and spices.

• Arisi Paruppu Sadham – A delicious combo of rice and lentils.
• Puli Sadham – Tangy Tamarind flvored rice
• Ell Urundai -Sweet sesame balls,a delicious no cook dessert
• Urulaikkizhangu Curry – Spicy potato curry
• Paruppu urundai kulambu – Lentil dumpling in sambar
• Venn pongal –Yet another rice pulse combo,a common breaskfast dish
• Sandhavai – Kongunadu rice noodles
•  Dosai
• Chola PaniyaramShorgam dumplings
• Nellikkai chaaru – Gooseberry soup
• Kollu rasam – Healthy horsegram soup / rasam.
• Kollu paruppu podi – Horsegram – Lentil spice mix to go with steamed rice
• Kollu kadaiyal – Mashed and seasoned horsegram
• Thakkali Kadaiyal – Mashed and seasoned tomato side dish
• Murungakkai sambar -Drumstick sambar
• Vaazhapoo Kootu – Banana blossom kootu
• Pachapuli rasam – no-cook rasam
• More – Spiced buttermilk
• Elaneer payasam – Tender coconut kheer, etc  and a host of non veg dishes.

I have already written a post on a Kongunad lunch menu and a breakfast thali.. So here is the dessert that I have been wanting to put up for a long time..

This simple dessert makes use of tender coconut water, tender coconut pulp and coconut milk….

Tender coconut water is actually the liquid endosperm . It is a nutritious and wholesome beverage that comes straight from nature. It is low in calories – 17.4 /100 grams.

It has a numerous health benefits. Some of them are listed here…

• It keeps the body cool
• Improves digestion.
• Quick source of energy
• Promotes the healthy functioning of Thyroid gland
• It is an effective oral re-hydration liquid.
• It has some organic compounds that promotes growth
•  Application of tender coconut water on the skin prevents prickly heat rashes, summer boils and subsides the rashes / boils caused by chicken pox measles etc.
• It is said to kill intestinal worms
• It checks urinary infection
• It is an excellent tonic to fight malnutrition
• Maintains the optimal fluid level in the body.
• Diuretic
• Prevents osteoporosis.
• Effective in the treatment of kidney stones
• In emergency cases, tender coconut water is used intravenously.
• It is a urinary antiseptic and eliminates poison in case of mineral poisoning.

Lil Dude ready to grab the tender coconut!!!

I used:

Tender coconut – 1
Coconut milk – 2 cups
Sugar to taste
Condensed milk – 1/8 cup
Charoli seeds / Chironji seeds / Saara paruppu – 1 tablespoon
Ghee- 1 teaspoon

1. Open the tender coconut and pour out the tender coconut water into a vessel and keep aside.
2. Scoop out the pulp and chop into fine pieces. Take 1/4 part of this pulp and grind to a smooth paste without adding water. This is done to make the kheer thicker and creamier.
3. In a large vessel, put in the ground pulp, tender coconut water, coconut milk, condensed milk, sugar , chopped pulp and mix well.
4. Heat ghee in a small pan and fry the charoli seeds in batches.
5. Pour over the prepared kheer and serve chilled.

This is my method of preparing the kheer. There are versions in which the coconut milk is heated. But I follow this simple method.Also there are versions that add cardamom powder, saffron etc. But I feel these will over powder the dish and the natural tender coconut flavor will be lost.

Take a look at the Blogging Marathon page to check out what my friends are cooking in this A- Z series…

Previously in this series… 

A – Azuki Bean Brownies – Baked
B – Butterfly Pea Flower Drink – Misc. / Thai
C – Congyou Bailuobosi – International / Chinese
D – Dates Cake – Eggless / No milk / No butter!!! – Baked

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