Payasams will always have a special place in my heart because I associate it with birthdays, celebrations and auspicious occasions. My mom used to make payasams for all these occasions and as kids, my siblings and I, loved all the creamy ‘white’ payasams such as semiya, palada or pal payasam, served hot or cold.
Now, since I have started making different varieties, the colour of the payasam doesn’t matter, but the taste, does.
AVAL PAYASAM
Serves 3
Ingredients
Aval (rice flakes): 1/2 cup
Whole milk: 2 cups
Sugar: 1/4 cup plus 2 – 3 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Cashews: 1 tbsp
Raisins: 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1 pinch
Method
Heat one tbsp ghee in a pan at medium heat. Fry cashews until golden. Drain on to a paper towel. Next fry raisins until plump and drain. To the remaining ghee, add aval and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Switch off and set aside. Meanwhile boil milk in a heavy-bottomed vessel. Simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes until the milk reduces a little. Add fried aval and cook for about 7 to 10 minutes until the aval turns soft. Add sugar and cook until it melts completely. If the payasam is very thick, add 1/4 cup hot milk and cook for a minute. Finally, sprinkle fried cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix well and switch off. Serve warm or chilled.
NEYPAYASAM
Ingredients
Payasam rice (unakkalari): 1/2 cup
Water: 1 cup
Jaggery: 3/4 cup, grated
Ghee: 1/4 cup
Grated coconut: 3/4 cup
Cardamom powder: 1 pinch
Dry ginger powder (chukku podi): A small pinch
Cashews and raisins: 2 tbsp each (optional)
Coconut bits: 2 tbsp
Method
Pressure cook the unakkalari adding 1 to 1.5 cups of water for three whistles at medium flame and set aside. (You can also cook it in a clay pot or any heavy-bottomed vessel but it will take around 1 hour). Melt jaggery in 1/2 cup of water, strain to remove any impurities and bring to a boil in an uruli or a heavy bottomed pan. Add cooked rice and ghee little by little, stirring continuously so that it won’t stick to the pan. Next, add grated coconut and mix well. Cook on medium to low flame until it reaches a saucy consistency (do not overcook). Add cardamom powder, dry ginger powder and mix well. Switch off the flame. Heat 1tsp ghee in a small pan. Fry the cashews, raisins and coconut bits. Sprinkle over the payasam. Serve warm.
CHAKKA PRADHAMAN
Ingredients
Chakka varattiyathu: 1 cup
Sabudana (tapioca pearls): 1/2 cup
Jaggery: 200 gm or to taste (dissolve the jaggery in 1 cup water and strain)
Thin coconut milk: 1 cup
Medium-thick coconut milk: 1 cup
Thick coconut milk: 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder, cumin powder, dry ginger powder: 1/4 tsp each
Ghee: 1 1/2 tbsp
Coconut bits: 3 tbsp
Cashews and raisins - 2 tbsp each
Method
Soak the chakka varattiyathu in thin coconut milk. In a separate bowl, soak sabudana in enough water for 1 hour. Heat an uruli at medium heat. Cook the sabudana in 1 cup water, stirring continuously for about 15 minutes, adding more water if required. Add the strained jaggery syrup and boil the mixture, stirring continuously. When it thickens, add soaked chakka varattiyathu along with the thin coconut milk in which it was soaked. Stir continuously until the chakka varattiyathu dissolves and becomes thick. Add the medium-thick coconut milk. Bring down the flame to low. Stir until it thickens and add the thick coconut milk. Remove from heat and add the cardamom, cumin and dried ginger powder. Heat ghee in a small pan. Fry the coconut tidbits until brown. Drain on to a paper towel and set aside. Fry the raisins until plump and drain. Add in the cashews and fry until golden. Sprinkle them over the payasam. Cover with a lid for 15 minutes and serve hot / chilled.
Tip: Adjust the amount of jaggery depending on the sweetness of chakka varattiyathu.
(Maya Akhil lives in Seattle with her husband and her one-year-old son. She’s passionate about food and runs the popular food blog Yummy O Yummy)
