Paal Payasam
Payasam is a delicacy made as an offering to the Gods as neivedhyam. There are various types of payasams like paruppu payasam, arisi payasam, aval payasam. Here I have given a very basic milk (paal) payasam for the beginner......You can wow your guests with this easy dish!!
Ingredients
- 1 litre milk (full cream milk makes for great payasam!)
- 1/4 cup of rice (Basumati or Ponni Raw)
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1/2 tsps of cardamom powder (Elaichi/Yellakai)
- 3 tsps ghee
- 10 cashewnuts-split into halves and chopped
- 10 raisins
- 2 strands of saffron
Method of preparation
- Rinse the rice a few times and allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and heat it on a low flame, stirring frequently so that it does not get stuck to the pan.
- Allow the milk to boil stirring continuously.
- Add a tablespoon of this milk to the strands of saffron in a cup and keep aside.
- Drain the water from the rice and saute on a kadai with 2 tsps ghee.
- Cook the rice in a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups of water for one whistle.
- On cooling, transfer the semi-cooked rice to the milk and continue cooking on simmer.
- Keep stirring for a few more minutes.
- Add the sugar to the cooked rice-milk mixture and stir.
- Now add cardamom powder, chopped cashewnuts sauted in ghee and saffron and stir.
- When the payasam reaches a smooth consistency with all the ingredients well blended switch off the stove.
- Garnish with raisins and serve in bowls.
