Chana dal payasam is a popular South Indian dessert recipe made with chana dal, jaggery, cardamom, ghee, nuts, and coconut milk in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or stovetop. Perfect for any festival or celebration. We call this Chana dal payasam as kadale bele payasa in kannada, kadalai paruppu payasam in tamil, senaga pappu payasam in telugu or chana dal kheer in hindi.
What is Payasam? Payasam is also known as kheer is a traditional Indian Sweet pudding made using milk, grains like rice, millets, broken wheat, tapioca, semolina, or lentils, and a sweetener like jaggery or sugar.
This is one of the easiest, healthy desserts and often prepared for festivals or any special occasions at our home.
Some people also like to add some soaked and boiled sabudana/sago (tapioca) into this chana dal kheer recipe.
Other chana dal recipes from my blog are Lauki Chana Dal, Chana dal Paratha, Pressure cooker Chana Dal.
How to make Coconut Milk at home?
Blend ½ cup of shredded coconut (fresh or frozen) with 1 cup of lukewarm water. Strain the coconut milk in a strainer or nut milk bag and this is the first and thick coconut milk.
Grind again by adding 1 cup of water and extract the milk, and this is the second and thin coconut milk.
You can use a mix of first and second milk for this recipe. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. You can save pulp for baked goods or add it to poriyal or coconut curries.
Chana Dal Payasam Ingredients
- chana dal
- organic jaggery or coconut sugar
- coconut milk
- cardamom powder
- ghee (or coconut oil if vegan)
- water
- cashew nuts
How to make Chana Dal Payasam in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE button. Add ghee into the pot, once hot add cashews, stir fry till they are light golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside.
Add the chana dal (split chickpeas lentils) and roast with leftover ghee in the pot until you get a nice aroma in about 2 minutes, also you should not let it brown too much.
Next, add water into the pot and close the lid and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position.
Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 10 minutes and Let it Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
Once done, mash it roughly when it is hot.
Add powdered jaggery to this and turn on the SAUTE button. Boil in for 2-3 minutes until the jaggery has been melted.
Pour in the coconut milk, cardamom powder, and stir well. Cook for only 1-2 minutes to avoid curdling.
Serve instant pot chana dal payasam/kheer warm or cold and garnish with roasted cashews.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker pan. Once hot add cashews and stir fry till they are light golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside.
- Next, add chana dal and roast with leftover ghee in the pot till you get a nice aroma in about 2 minutes.
- Add water into the pan and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
- Once done, mash it roughly and add jaggery to this and turn on the gas again.
- Boil in for 2 minutes until the jaggery has been melted and then pour in the coconut milk, cardamom powder and cook for only 1-2 minutes to avoid curdling.
- Serve senaga pappu payasam warm or cold and garnish with roasted cashews.
Tips & Variations
- If you feel your jaggery has impurities, first heat the jaggery with water just to immerse it and melt the jaggery. Strain it through a metal strainer and add this to the senaga pappu payasam.
- You can also add roasted coconut slices (fresh or frozen) or dry coconut slices.
- Chana dal texture is important for the payasam. It should not be completely mashed out.
- You can replace jaggery with coconut sugar or brown sugar, but traditionally this dessert is prepared with jaggery.
- If you don't have coconut milk, you can add almond milk or full-fat dairy milk.
- I used store brought coconut milk, but you can use homemade coconut milk as well.
- You can follow the same recipe for moong dal as well.
More Instant Pot Dessert recipes
- Milk Powder Burfi
- Sweet Pongal
- Carrot halwa instant pot
- Rice Kheer
- Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli Kheer)
- Moong Dal Payasam
Chana Dal Payasam Instant Pot
Ingredients
Measuring cup used (1 cup = 250 ml)
- ½ cup chana dal
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup organic jaggery or coconut sugar ,adjust according to your taste
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee (or coconut oil if vegan)
- ¼ cup cashew nuts
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Press SAUTE button. Add ghee into the pot, once hot add cashews, stir fry till they are light golden brown in color. Remove and keep aside.
- Add the chana dal (split chickpeas lentils) and roast with leftover ghee in the pot until you get nice aroma in about 2 minutes, also you should not let it brown too much.
- Next add water into the pot and close the lid, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.
- Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 10 minutes and Let it Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
- Once done, mash it roughly, when it is hot.
- Add powdered jaggery to this and turn on the SAUTE button. Boil in for 2-3 minutes until jaggery has been melted.
- Pour in the coconut milk, cardamom powder and stir well. Cook for only 1-2 minutes to avoid curdling.
- Serve warm or cold and garnish with roasted cashews.
Stove Top Pressure Cooker Method:
- Heat ghee in a pressure cooker pan.Once hot add cashews and stir fry till they are light golden brown in color.Remove and keep aside.
- Add the chana dal (split chickpeas lentils) and roast with leftover ghee in the pot until you get nice aroma in about 2 minutes, also you should not let it brown too much.
- Next add water into the pan and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles, or you can cook the chana dal in the open pot method as well.
- Once done, mash it roughly, when it is hot and add powdered jaggery to this and turn on the gas again.
- Boil in for 2 minutes until jaggery has been melted and then pour in the coconut milk, cardamom powder and cook for only 1-2 minutes to avoid curdling.
- Serve warm or cold and garnish with roasted cashews.
Notes
Tips & Variations:
- If you feel your jaggery has impurities, first heat the jaggery with water just to immerse it and melt the jaggery. Strain it through a metal strainer and add this to the payasam.
- You can also add roasted coconut slices (fresh or frozen) or dry coconut slices.
- Chana dal texture is important for the payasam. It should not be completely mashed out.
- You can replace jaggery with coconut sugar or brown sugar, but traditionally this dessert is prepared with jaggery.
- If you don't have coconut milk, you can add almond milk or full fat dairy milk.
- I used store brought coconut milk, but you can use homemade coconut milk as well.
- You can follow the same recipe for moong dal as well.
Nutrition
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