Eethapazham Pradaman / Dates Pradaman

Vishu 2013, falls tomorrow the 14th of April. Have you thought about the menu for your sadhya? How about trying out this recipe for dessert - Dates Pradaman. Hope you have not missed out on the list of Sadhya recipes. Click on this link and scroll down for more.. http://kitchentreats.blogspot.in/p/index.html

INGREDIENTS
Recipe Source - Grihalaxmi

Eethapazham/ Dates - 500 g
Jaggery - 700 g
Coconut - 2 1/2 medium sized
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp
Coconut Pieces - 3 tbsp
Water - 3 + 1 cup+ 5 cups
Cashew - 25g
Kismis - 25 g
Cardamom - 3 nos

METHOD

Remove the seeds from the dates. Boil 3 cups water. Soak the dates in this water for 15 minutes.

Melt jaggery in a pan with 1 cup water on medium to low flame till it fully melts.

Grind the dates along with the water into fine paste. Keep aside.

Scrape the coconuts. Add 1 cup water, pulse the coconut in a mixer 5 times and remove first extract. Keep aside.

Add 2 cups water and follow the same process to extract second coconut milk.

Again add 2 cups water and extract coconut milk the third time. 

Pour the third extract coconut milk along with the ground dates into a wide mouthed kadai and start to cook.

Switch on the stove to medium flame.

Strain and add the jaggery. Mix well. Keep stirring till it becomes thick.

When the mixture is thick add the second extract coconut milk.

Stir and when thick remove from stove. Add in the first milk. Keep aside.

Add 1/2 tsp sugar to the cardamom pods and powder it in a mixer. Remove the husk and add it to the payasam.

Heat ghee in a small kadai. Fry the cashews and kismis first. Remove and then fry the coconut pieces till it slightly browns.

Add the fried cashews, kismis and coconut pieces along with the remaining ghee into the pradaman.

Tips:
Jaggery means sugarcane molasses. I used the light brown ones. This is a very sweet pradaman. Reduce the amount of jaggery by 50g if you don't like it very sweet. 
Add slightly warm water to extract coconut milk.

Wishing all my readers and well wishers a Happy Vishu!!! Enjoy!