Not a Jam: Jackfruit Payasam

Payasam is a rich, creamy dessert often served as part of a Malayalee meal. It is typically made with rice, lentils or fruits simmered in coconut milk and sweetened with jaggery. Former restaurateur and author Dhershini Winodan walks us through how to create a variation made with ripe jackfruit, called chakka payasam in Malayalam, and its place in Malayalee festivals and family traditions. 

This episode is part of From Book to Cook, a cooking show on Singapore’s food history. Other episodes can be found here.

The main ingredient for chakka payasam: ripe jackfruit.

Recipe

In Kerala, during the jackfruit season when home-grown fruit is abundant, professional jam makers would visit households to process and preserve the fruit. Chakka payasam is traditionally made using jackfruit jam, resulting in a smooth, velvety texture. Dhershini, however, prefers using fresh jackfruit pulp instead, creating a payasam with more bite and a texture she personally enjoys. Her recipe can be found in her book, My Long Table: Recipes & Memories.

Chakka payasam being made in a traditional uruli pot.

Related Podcast

A Layered Stewed Sweetness: Jackfruit Payasam Made Local

Cookbook author and former restaurateur Dhershini Winodan tells us how she has adapted jackfruit payasam, a common Malayalee dessert, by using local elements like gula melaka. She also talks about growing up in the Telecoms quarters in Yio Chu Kang and how the Malayalee community in Singapore has changed over time.

Related Articles

Spicy Nation: From India to Singapore
From fish head curry to Indian rojak, Indian food in Singapore has evolved over time, drawing influences from the various local cultures, and finding its place in the hearts of Singaporeans. (BiblioAsia)

Indian Migration into Malaya and Singapore During the British Period
Hailing from the Indian subcontinent – which comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives – Indians have played an important role in the historical, economic, cultural and political development of Singapore. (BiblioAsia)

Related Books

Dhershini Govin Winodan, My Long Table: Recipes & Memories (Singapore: Food Lingo, 2023). 

Anitha Devi Pillai, From Kerala to Singapore: Voices from the Singapore Malayalee Community (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2017).

Resources from NewspaperSG

“A Malayalee Festival of Plenty,” The Straits Times, 17 September 1982, 4. (From NewspaperSG) 

“Harvest Fest,” The Straits Times, 21 August 1980, 3. (From NewspaperSG) 

“Here’s How to Dine Banana-Leaf Style,” The Singapore Monitor, 15 March 1983, 14. (From NewspaperSG)