Mukkani Payasam
A special summer dessert made with the three, golden, royal fruits of Tamil Nadu—maa-pala-vazhai, the mango, the jackfruit and the banana, known as mukkanikal, so the payasam bears the same name. If each fruit is well-ripened, this can be made with no cooking at all, and is the simplest, richest and most special of chilled summer payasams. The payasam will take the flavors of the fruits you use, so use the very best.
- 1 large sweet ripe mango, any variety
- 2 medium or 3 small very ripe bananas, any variety
- 10 ripe jackfruit arils
- A scant ¼ cup sugar, optional
- 1 cup thickened milk or fresh whole fat cream. Substitute for coconut milk or cream to go vegan.
- A generous sprinkling of cardamom and nutmeg powders
- 1 teaspoon ghee (or skip to go vegan)
- 1 tablespoon chopped cashews and almonds, to garnish
If you do not have thickened milk, prepare it first by boiling down ½ liter of whole fat milk until it is reduced by about half. Reincorporate any cream skin formed on top and stuck to the sides of the pan while the milk is still hot. Allow to cool.
Note that thickened milk can always be substituted for thick coconut milk or coconut cream, to make this vegan.
Peel the mango and extract the pulp, adding no water.
Mash the bananas and the jackfruits and add to the mango pulp. You can use a mixie if you wish, but this is best done by hands to retain some of the fruit’s original texture.
If the jackfruit is not soft enough to mash, cook it briefly with a little water and pulse this to a rough puree. Cool completely before adding to the other fruits.
Sugar is optional in this recipe; the sweetness of the combined fruits should be more than sufficient. But if you’re adding any, do it now.
Add the thickened milk, and the cardamom-nutmeg powders.
Chill well.
When ready to serve, prepare the nuts. In a tempering pan, heat the ghee, toast the almonds and pour over the mukkani payasam. To make this vegan, you can simply toast the nuts and add them – don’t substitute the ghee for oil.