Plantain glazed with jaggery syrup is an exotic traditional Kerala dessert made with 4 ingredients served usually with breakfast. It is called pazham nurukku at home. This has a melt in the mouth kind of texture with cooked fruit, earthy sweet jaggery, fragrant ghee and cardamom all combined oh so divine !
Plantain glazed in jaggery syrup is a much sort after dessert at my place. It is enjoyed by all 4 generations starting from the toothless 105 year old grandmother to her great grand child. A crowd pleasing dessert for sure.
CONTENTS : (JUMP TO )
Why you should try this recipe?
A warm bowl of Plantain glazed with jaggery syrup is a power packed breakfast dessert Great for chilly mornings. The benefit of having this slow breakdown dessert traditionally in the morning is you have ample time to burn during the whole day. Keeps you full unlike processed food.
- TASTE: The richness of jaggery and ghee with the fruit flavor simply melt in the mouth.
- TEXTURE: The texture of this dessert is very soft and and delicate appetizing to most age groups.
- TIME: It only takes 15 minutes!
- EASE: This is such a simple recipe to make. You can whip up carrot cheese ball with only a few ingredients very easily swap with other ingredients of your choice.
I usually make this as a power snack for my daughter as an after school snack before her sports practice or before her college prep class. Believe me it keeps you full for a long time as the plantain is slow carb releasing food.
FAQs
Pazham nurruku is the South East Asian language Malayalam name for the plantain glazed with jaggery syrup. Nendrapazham (Is the variety of plantain) used to make this dessert usually. Organic country side variety is the sweetest when ripe and cooks to perfection in the ghee. Pazham means (plantain or banana) nurruku means pieces.
It is usually served with morning breakfast dessert along with rice based breakfasts like puttu and spicy chickpeas curry or other Kerala breakfasts. During the harvest festivals like Vishu, Onam or birthdays etc it is generally made in most homes.
We make it as an evening snack to be served along with 4 o'clock Tea.
The plantain sold in most grocery stores in the US are raw green ones. They are close contenders to the ones found in Kerala. Hence I usually buy raw green plantain and leave it on the counter for 3-4 days to ripen and blacken the skin. Once ready you can use of cooking desserts or store in the refrigerator to extend the life for uptown 5 days.
Recipe secrets for the best plantain glazed with jaggery syrup:
- The ripeness of the fruit can make or break this dessert. If the plantain is slightly hard then it will thicken and become hard on cooking.
- Over ripe fruits are best for this dessert . Make sure to use a non stick pan so the plantains do not mash up when flipping.
- The pectin content in the ripe plantain will thicken the jaggery when it cooks.
- Do not dilute the jaggery in too much water as it will take a long time to reduce in the process it will overcook the fruit and mash it.
- Use darkest variety of jaggery available.
- If jaggery is available in a rock solid for you might have to break into required amount with hammer. You don't have to powder it as the water and heat will do the job of breaking down the large clumps.
INGREDIENTS LIST :
- Plantain : Plantains are a carb-rich high starch food and a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain antioxidants that fight free radicals. With good levels of vitamin C, they can also support immune function.
- Jaggery : The unrefined sugar obtained from sugarcane juice is called molasses or Jaggery. The dried version is softened dissolved in cooking liquid like coconut milk or water and often used in Indian cooking for making desserts. High grade least processed jaggery is an excellent source of plant-based iron.
- Substitute : brown sugar or palm jaggery or even plain sugar will work(reduce quantity as per taste).
- Ghee : Adds richness and flavor to the dessert
- Cardamom : Adds flavor and fragrance to the dessert.
- Other ingredients ideas are coconut or beaten rice flakes (Aval/poha) or texture and taste.
Steps for making plantain glazed in jaggery syrup :
- The ripeness of the plantain can make or break this dish.
- If it is hard to find jaggery the use brown sugar instead but reduce as per sweetness preferred. Jaggery is comparatively less sweet than sugar.
- Make sure the plantain does not burn too much it will affect the taste of the dessert and so does jaggery.
- Do not cook for too long or thicken it too much then the plantain will turn too hard and loose its soft fruity texture.
Serving suggestion :
- Serve this dessert for breakfast.
- As a topping with ice cream.
- As power packed snack before gym or other physical sports activity or after school long hours of extended class for children and young adults. This helps them concentrate better. Aim for at least 1-2 plantains per head.
- As small serving a warm dessert on cold winter days.
Storage : Tastes best when made fresh. But our other options are
Leftovers :Store remaining in the refrigerator for up to two days. Microwave to heat up slightly so that aromas wake up and the ghee solids melt.
Make ahead : Make this previous night when it comes to room temperature store it in an airtight container. Microwave to heat up slightly so that aromas wake up and the ghee solids melt.
Other popular recipes to try from this blog :
- Arrowroot halwa
- Rice and lentil pudding
- Boli - South Indian sweet flatbread with jaggery filling
- Unniappam - sweet rice fritters
Plantain with glazed jaggery syrup
Ingredients
- 2 plantains nendrapazham
- 3-4 tbsp Jaggery If using cubes then 3-4 cubes
- 1-2 tbsp Ghee
- 4 Cardamom crushed freshly (Not powder)
Instructions
- Dissolve jaggery in 1/2 cup water.Cut the plantain in to thick rounds.
- Heat the ghee in a wide mouthed pan, when it starts to sizzle add the plantain a single layer reduce heat to medium. Allow it to brown on one side then turn to the other side.
- When both sides of the plantain has caramelized add the the dissolved jaggery and allow this to thicken to a honey texture on low heat. Then add the freshly crushed cardamom pods. Give a few minutes for all flavors to mingle then switch off heat and serve warm.
Notes
Hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know.
Meena
Janice
I love plantains and bake all the time but this one I have to try for sure. Where can I find jaggery …can I just use brown sugar instead?
elephantsncoconuttrees
You can find jaggery in most Indian stores in the grocery aisle. You can use brown sugar instead just the taste may not be as rich as jaggery.
Thank you for stopping by Janice.