Banana Payasa/ Banana Prathama/ Nendra Balehannu prathama using preserved Banana

This is a quick payasam recipe if the preserved banana is available in your pantry.  Click for the process of cooking and preserving banana which was my last blog post. This is ideal for festival lunch or dessert for a sudden craving.
I personally like this more than Jackfruit perati payasa as it has the tangy & sweet taste.

Look for my other posts on recipes of banana such as Banana Buns, Banana Rasayana, Banana Bread, Ripe Banana Dosa, Ripe banana soup...

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Preserved Banana – 1.5 cups

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Fresh Coconut – 1 (to extract milk), About 2 cups of thin coconut milk & ¾ cup thick coconut milk

Jaggery – 4 tbsp, adjust to taste as sugar has been added while cooking banana

For Garnishing,

Black Sesame/ til/ ellu – 1 tsp

Finely chopped Dry coconut – 1 tsp

Cashews bits – 2 tsp (optional)

Raisins – 2 tsp (optional)

Method:

• Chop dry coconut/ ona kobbari very fine and keep aside.
• Take preserved banana in a thick bottomed vessel.
• Add think coconut milk (2^nd & 3^rd extract). Mix the banana mass with the coconut milk well by mashing with the ladle. The single lump of the preserved banana should blend well with the coconut milk.
• Bring this to boil. Add jaggery as required. Allow it to melt. You can add filtered jaggery sysrup if you feel it has impurities.
• When the payasa boils well and everything mixes and blends well, add the first extract (thick) coconut milk. Switch off the stove when it just starts developing small bubbles. Do not over boil it after adding thick coconut milk.
• Now dry roast sesame in a tadka pan and top the payasa with it.
• Fry chopped dry coconut and minced cashews in ghee one by one and add that to the payasa as well.
• Serve the payasa hot with little ghee on top of it.
• This payasa tastes great even after you refrigerate it!