Phanasachi Kheeri

Jackfruit payasam — ripe jackfruit bulbs cooked down in thin coconut milk until they soften and sweeten further, then thick coconut milk and jaggery added and simmered gently until the payasam thickens to a golden, fragrant, fruit-rich dessert. Cardamom and a pinch of saffron finish the preparation. The Saraswat jackfruit payasam uses coconut milk rather than cow's milk, giving it a lighter texture than kheer and a tropical sweetness from the dual coconut-jackfruit combination. Made at Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, and summer family gatherings when jackfruit is at its peak ripeness; the perfume of ripe jackfruit cooking in coconut milk is one of the most evocative festival smells of the Konkan coast.