SIHIKUMBALA PAYASA/PUMPKIN PUDDING

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I was introduced to pumpkin payasa by a neighbor from Mangalore during my school days in the Malnad town of Mudigere. For somebody used to having gasagase payasa, kadle bele payasa, sabbakki or shyavige payasa during festivals, kumbala kayi payasa was a novelty - a delectable sihi kumbala payasa - a kheer with raw cashew and pumpkin, sweetened with jaggery , made rich and creamy with ground coconut.
I keep trying variants of this payasa - pumpkin and moong dal, pumpkin and rice and a super-fast pumpkin beaten rice payasa. Super-fast how? Discover yourself why this adjective.
  • Ease - easy
  • Preparation time - 15 mins
  • Cooking time - 15 mins
Ingredients 
  • Pumpkin - 200 gms 
  • Thick beaten rice (poha) - 1 cup 
  • Jaggery (powdered) - 1 cup 
  • Coconut - 1 cup 
  • Cashew nuts - 8 - 10 
  • Raisins - 8 - 10 
  • Ghee - 2 spoons (vegan substitute - coconut oil/refined vegetable oil) 
  • Cardamom - 5 
  • Cloves - 2 
  • Nutmeg - a small bit 
  • Milk - 1 cup (vegan substitute almond milk) 
Method
Method
  • Peel and cut pumpkin into small 1 inch pieces as shown 
  • Soak beaten rice /poha/avalakki in sufficient amount of water and keep aside 
  • Cook pumpkin with water in a heavy bottomed wok/pan 
  • Grate coconut and keep aside 
  • Roast broken cashew with a spoon of ghee till golden add raisins and keep aside 
  • Grind coconut with cardamom, cloves and nutmeg into a smooth paste with very little water. 
  • When pumpkin is cooked tender, add soaked beaten rice and jagerry and bring to boil with constant stirring 
  • Add coconut paste, simmer for a minute 
  • Garnish with roasted cashew and raisins 
  • Add hot milk before serving 

Notes
  • Beaten rice absorbs water and the payasa becomes thick so add hot milk before serving 
  • Cook pumpkin with minimum required quantity of water, add boiling hot water to adjust and get proper consistency. 
  • Dissolve jaggery with water and filter dissolved jaggery to eliminate impurities. 
Tips 
Organic jaggery powder that is available in the market can be conveniently used 
Coconut milk can be used in place of coconut paste.

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