Hyacinth Bean Payasa / Hitikida Avarekalu Payasa

Hitikida avarekalu or hisukida avarekai - the name is derived by the mere action of sqeezing the avarekalu to take out the skin and use the inner kalu. 

Winter is the season of Avarekalu. Avarekalu mela (fair) is one of the traditional festival of Bengaluru (happpens in V V Puram) where vareities of Avarekalu is being sold and also various food items prepared with Avarekalu like Payasa, Saru, Rotti, Mixture, Paddu, Uppittu, Mosaru Kodubale, Holige etc is being sold.

Am sharing the Avarekalu payasa recipe here. Recipe credit - Muniyamma, my neighbor.

Ingredients

Avarekalu - 1 cup
Grated dry coconut - 1/2 cup
Poppy seeds - 25 grams
Jaggery - 1/4 kg
Cardamom - 5 to 6
Ghee - 1 spoon

Method
Remove outer cover of Avarekalu to seperate out the seeds (called as Kalu). Wash and soak the avarekalu in water for about an hour. Stain out the water. 

Now using fingers press avarekalu to remove the skin. If we do it one by one, the shape and structure of the Avarekalu will remain intact. Though its time consuming, its worth it.

Heat a thick bottomed vessel and add Avarekalu and around 2 cups of water. Cook the Avarekalu for about 15 minutes (it should not very soft also, cook until slightly crunchy). Now add jaggery and cook until Jaggery dissolves. 

In a vessel, roast poppy seeds along with a spoon of ghee until you get aroma. It will take about a minute. Switch off the stove.

Grind the roasted poppy seeds along with grated dry coconut, Cardamon (remove the skin and use) to fine paste by gradually adding water. Now add this paste to cooked avarekalu and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Yummy and not so usual dessert is ready to serve. 

Hitikida avarekalu payasa, avarekalu dessert, avarekalu recipes, avarekalu dishes, Karnataka desserts, Karnataka sweets, Hyacinth Bean payasa, Hyacinth Bean recipes, Hyacinth Bean sweets