Every time I wonder what recipe should I post next on the blog, I crave to do the ones that evoke childhood memories. Memories of coming home and having a nice tiffin of hot snacks or giggling with cousins over meals cooked by grandmother, mother and aunts; or even a spicy scrambled eggs served by my dear father who loved to cook but now cannot. Its funny how many memories can be evoked by simple ingredients such as eggs, rice or even fruit.One such recipe is for Kirinipala or Cantaloupe payasa. I don't remember all the exact details of when and how I have had this payasa but slurping it up a few days ago reminded me of being a child again, in a cozy, comfortable safe place with no major worries or stresses just being a kid. Kirinipala is I think originally a Tamil word for muskmelon or in the U.S for cantaloupe. Since my mom grew up in Chennai we sometimes used Tamil language in our South Kanara/Kannada household. My amma made this payasa with Rice dosa called bhajjara or neer dosa and it can also be served with hot puris similar to Mango rasayana. This recipe is best made with the ripest and sweetest cantaloupe you can find. I paid a hefty 4.99$ for this baby at my local central market and the intensely sweet fruit almost needed no sugar additives! It was amazing to eat on its own but I was craving the payasa enough to spare 2 cups of chopped fruit to make the dish. This is a great dessert for kids as its mostly fruit, coconut milk and a tad of jaggery!
Cantaloupe Payasa Recipe
- 2 Cups Chopped Ripe Cantaloupe (preferably chilled)
- 1 Cup Fresh or canned coconut milk
- 2 Cardamom pods, seeds crushed
- 1 Inch cube jaggery, crushed (~1 to 2 tablespoons to taste)
PS - I would love to know if any of you have a similar recipe for this fruit or if this is one made up in my family. Also, what do you call cantaloupe at home? Karbuza? Kirinipala?
19 comments:
Thats a tasty idea of using cantalop for payasa. Nice presentation too...
hey This is something very new to me, I am not a great fan of desserts but your look absolutely amazing!!
We called muskmelon Kharbooza back in India. I always thought Persian Melon was Kharbooza...I didn't know it was cantaloupe all along!
beautifully written and presented archana:) i am not a big fan of muskmelon but serving it with coconut milk and jaggary surely sounds exotic.
Archana, this is amazingly nutritious drink. i wanna make it soon. cant wait.
Karbuja in Kannada. I love to eat it as it is, Payasa looks so delicious!:))
Good to see you blogging again! Happy Halloween!
Beautiful desert...loved the presentation.
I like cantloupe. And this is a unique payasa. Shell try it next itme I buy cantaloupe. Thx for the recipe.
Hi!
This is very new and nice recipe. though we just cut the fruit into cubes and add sugar and have it!
Looks good.
Cantaloupe is kirni pazham. I love smoothies with 'em. But not just 'em, along with other fruits. It gives a nice body to the smoothie without adding calories. Ice pops with melon is something I am yet to try.
yum i remember thats just an excellent payasa which i would crave for :)
It's the memories that make food special and I enjoyed your recollection.
It is also one of the reasons I advocate that parents cook at least once a week so that their children can in turn have such lovely memories.
Beautiful presentation, love the ingredients in it... I have no idea what we call this back home :(
This is a great idea - I'm always seeking out twists to the traditional payasam recipes. And a fruit variation is really clever.
Madhu, thanks! I am surprised more people havent tried this before.
Padmaja- i dont consider this dessert if I can drink like a breakfast smoothie or lunch lassi or dinner apertif! :)
Nabeela-I did a wiki search and it seems musk melon is cantaloupe! good to know its called Kharbooza too!
Sia- thanks dear! If you like mango rasayana/payasa you may like muskmelon like this..
swaroopa-try it and let me know what you think
asha-thanks for stopping in dear! I guess we never used the kannada word in my familY! funny.. happy halloween! Enjoy my H post.
sunita-thanks so much! its funny, i had almost run oout of the dessert and this is why i got the said presentation!
rina-thanks! let me know what you think of it when you make it.
usha-this cantaloupe did not need any sugar but i know some varieties in india i had were not so sweet that sugar was needed.. we even put icecream in the middle and eat sometimes.
pushpa-thanks!!
suganya- thanks for kirni info and smoothie/fruit pops sound so great..
roopa-finally someone who can vouch for its delicious flavor!
cynthia- yes, we cook all the time here and hope that our love of cooking gets transferred to the kids. Soon I would like them to help me cook too! fun! Thanks!
sig-thanks, no worries.. :)
kaykat-thank you, its definitely an alternative to heavy/creamy kheers!
Payasams with coconut milk is a nice variation to our regular ones. That too with fresh fruit - could imagine the taste. Viji
hey archana i'm about to post cantaloupe smoothie and i just googled the name to find the other names and nutrition of benefits of this melon when i was redirected here,, u have a lovely blog.. i have never made payasam out of this will try this soon !
archanacooks.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.
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