People call it as Palm Fruit, but palm fruit is different and this is also known as Ice Apple and Nungu in tamil, is a delicious jelly like fruit that beats all the others for its cooling effect on a hot summer day. It is a seasonal fruit of the palm tree; these trees are found in plenty in the villages of South India. So every summer we use to have this ice Apple to overcome the heat.

Ice apple / Nungu is rich in vitamins and proteins, not only children everyone loves this ice apple for its softness and taste. Pregnant women can overcome constipation; dieters who are on a weight loss regimen can take ice apple, because it does not contain fat or carbohydrates.

My daughter loves it, but coming to my son, he never had it and as usual, I was worried a lot, then my hubby gave me an idea to prepare Nungu dishes and here comes my first nungu dish, “Nungu Payasam”, also one of collection towards “Beat the heat” and “Payasam / Kheer” dishes and now it’s KIDS-FRIENDLY recipe. Choose hard Nungu/Ice Apple for this recipe. Let us move on to the recipe…

Nungu Payasam / Ice Apple Kheer

Ingredients:

• Milk – ¾ litre
• Nungu / Ice Apple – 3 nos
• Sugar – 4 tbsp (as per taste)
• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
• Cashew nuts – 10 nos
• Raisins – 5 nos

Peeled and roughly chopped Nungu with cashewnuts in blender

Grounded to fine paste by adding 1 cup of milk little by little

Boiled and semi thickened milk at room temperature

With the grounded paste

Nuts roasted in clarified milk/ ghee with milk

Nungu Payasam / Ice Apple Kheer

Nungu Payasam / Ice Apple Kheer

Nungu Payasam / Ice Apple Kheer

Preparation:

• Boil the milk in a non-stick saucepan, keep in medium flame and wait until it reduces in quantity.
• Soak six cashew nuts in water for 10 mins.
• Peel and roughly chop the nungu.
• Add in the cardamom powder to the boiling milk and wait for few mins, scrap the sides of the saucepan and leave the scrapped cream again to the milk.
• Remove the milk from fire and then bring it to room temperature. Keep it aside.
• In a blender, add in the roughly chopped nungu pieces and cashew nuts; blend them to a fine paste by adding milk little by little.
• Add in the fine nungu paste with the milk (be sure the milk should be in room temperature else, the milk will curdle), stir it well without lumps for payasam.
• Heat a tbsp of clarified butter/ghee in a tadka, add in the leftover cashewnuts, roast until they turn golden brown colour.
• Add in the raisins and wait until they turn golden yellow in colour.
• Pour it to the payasam and stir it.

Serve chilled or at room temperature. Sprinkle cardamom powder and serve.

Note: Be sure that the milk should be at room temperature or chilled, before pouring the grounded nungu paste else the milk will curdle. This Nungu Payasam can be served only at room temperature or chilled, do not heat because the milk will curdle. Do choose hard nungu/ice apple for this recipe, if not payasam will be watery.