Pineapple Payasam

Name: Pineapple Payasam
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 29 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Kerala)
Ingredients: ½ ripe sweet pineapple (about 350g after peeling and coring), cut into tiny 1cm pieces; 100g (½ cup) sugar (adjust to pineapple sweetness); 500ml (2 cups) thin coconut milk (second extract); 250ml (1 cup) thick coconut milk (first extract); 120ml condensed milk (half a standard tin); ¼ tsp cardamom powder; 2 pinches dry ginger powder; 1 tbsp ghee; 1 tbsp cashew nuts; ½ tbsp raisins

🟢 Veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

Traditional 48. Pineapple Payasam recipe

⏱️15 minPrep

🔥14 minCook

🕒29 minTotal

🍽️5Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Pineapple Payasam

Add sugar and ghee (4 mins, medium heat): Add sugar and 1 tbsp ghee to the softened pineapple. Stir and sauté until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture turns slightly syrupy and glossy, about 3–4 minutes.
Add thin coconut milk and condensed milk (6 mins, medium-low heat): Pour in thin coconut milk and condensed milk simultaneously. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil on medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Boil gently for 4–5 minutes until the payasam reduces slightly.
Add thick coconut milk (2 mins, very low heat): Reduce flame to minimum. Pour in thick coconut milk and stir through gently. Heat for 2 minutes without boiling — boiling after thick coconut milk addition will cause the payasam to split.

📖 Cultural notes

Pineapple Payasam is a festive innovation from the Syrian Christian households of central Kerala, where the tropical fruit's acidity balances the richness of coconut milk; it is traditionally served at Jacobite and Catholic weddings as a modern counterpoint to the ancient paddy-based payasams. ---

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