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.

Dhershini Govin Winodan is a former restaurateur who started Chat Masala along Upper East Coast Road. Her latest book, My Long Table: Recipes & Memories (2023), contains over 130 recipes from Indian classics to popular international dishes, and the stories behind them. She has written articles for magazines like Her World, and appeared on radio and TV shows, including the episode “Indian Upma with a Twist” on the YouTube series Woking with Sunshine.

What Dhershini Talked About

  • 02:41 – Why jackfruit payasam is unusual
  • 03:20 – What is payasam made of
  • 04:12 – Using coconut milk in payasam
  • 04:27 –Jackfruit payasam in Kerala
  • 08:38 – Malayali cuisine in Singapore vs Kerala
  • 09:19 – Malayali weddings in Singapore
  • 12:08 – Malayali festivals beyond Onam
  • 15:24 – Managing jackfruit
  • 19:27 – The legend of payasam and Lord Krishna
  • 21:32 – Types of jackfruit for cooking
  • 22:21 – How using the bronze urli pot makes a difference
  • 24:03 – Ingredients that make her jackfruit payasam special
  • 27:14 – How Dhershini learnt to cook
  • 29:02 – Why she came up with the name for her restaurant Chat Masala
  • 31:40 – About her book My Long Table
  • 36:53 – How Malayali food is different from other Indian regional cuisines
  • 38:26 – What Malayali food means to Dhershini


Transcript and Resources

  • Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-a-layered-stewed-sweetness-jackfruit-payasam-made-local
  • Watch Dhershini make jackfruit payasam: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-jackfruit-payasam


Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.

This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Dhershini for coming on the show.

Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.

Rss
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör National Library, Singapore. Innehållet i podden är skapat av National Library, Singapore och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.