Take grated coconut in a mixer, add 1/2 cup of water and grind to fine paste. Then squeeze this paste over strainer and extract thick coconut milk.

Again add the squeezed coconut in to mixer along with 1/2 cup of water. Repeat the process of strining to obtain the second extract coconut milk.

Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews till they change color slightly. Transfer it over a plate and add jaggery plus half cup of water. Let the jaggery dissolve in water, then strain it to remove the impurities.

Next in a mixer add the soaked dates and ground coarsely. While grinding, you can use the water that is used for soaking.

Heat a pan with dates puree and saute till the raw smell subsides. Then include the jaggery syrup of step 1 and let the dates cook for few more minutes.

Dates paste has cooked well in jaggery now, so add the second extract coconut milk. It will make the payasa very thin.

Mix rice powder in 2 tea spoon of water and make paste. Add this paste to the payasa so that it turns slightly thick. Continue cooking till the rice powder gets cooked. Finally include second extract coconut milk and bring it to boil.

Sprinkle cardamom powder and garnish the payasa with roasted cashews. Dates payasa is ready to serve.

You can grind the dates finely too, I have kept it coarse as I like bites in my mouth.

I have prepared the coconut milk at home. You can even use store bought one.

Dates have sufficient sweetness, you can skip jaggery. But little jaggery enhances the taste.

Rice powder helps in thickening the payasa otherwise it becomes too thin.