Lychee Cashew Nut Payasam

Payasam is very popular dessert in Kerala and is made on every special occasions.Payasam is a very satisfying dessert and there are several varieties of payasam. This is a flavorful fruit and nut payasam. It is made with lychee fruit and cashew milk. Lychee is a summer fruit and is very flavorful, and has a beautiful texture, soft ,translucent and sweet. You can buy cashew milk from the supermarket. I used Silk Creamy Cashew Milk. In addition sago pearls gives this pudding/payasam the desired creamy consistency. You can substitute it with rice or ada.Try this you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Chopped lychee-1 1/2 cup
Cashew Milk- 2 1/2 cup
Condensed milk- 3/4 cup
Cashew nut (to make a paste)- 10-12
Sago pearls/ chowari-1/2 cup
Sugar-3 tbs
Chopped cashew nuts- 8-10
Raisins- a few
Crushed cardamom-3-4
Ghee-2 tsp

First step is to cook the sago. In a heavy bottom pan add 5-6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the sago pearls/chowari and allow it to boil. After a few minutes you can drain the first water and add fresh batch of boiling water (again 5-6 cups) and continue cooking the sago pearls till it is clear and translucent. Strain and run under cold running water and set aside.
Peel the skin of the lychee and remove the seeds. Add this into a blender and pulse. Strain out the juice of the lychee and set aside.
Soak cashew nut in half cup warm water. Make this into a fine paste. Add this to the cashew milk and mix. Mix condensed milk and bring this mixture to a boil.
To this add the cooked chowari/ sago pearls and the strained lychee juice. Stir and cook in low medium flame for 3-4 minutes.When it starts to thicken add crushed cardamom and sugar( according to your sweet preference ) and mix. After two minutes switch off the flame. Heat ghee in a pan and roast cashew nuts and raisins. When golden brown pour this over the payasam. Serve warm or chilled.