Payasam recipes

Pazham pradhaman

| Rekha Vengalil

IMG_1156 01-001Almost all festivals or celebrations call for a sadhya (feast) in Kerala, and no feast is complete without payasam(s) or Pradhaman (pudding). I love those awesome wedding feasts which ends with different types of payasam ; three varieties is almost a norm, more the merrier. Continue reading →

Semiya Payasam / vermicelli kheer

| Rekha Vengalil
Wishing all  Malayalis a very happy Onam! And for those who are new to this term, here is something to read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam 
 
And this Onam it’s semiya payasam for us. An all time favorite of mine; though hubby and daughter is more for parippu payasam. The recipe I share  is with Condensed milk, that’s made the payasam so creamy and rich and so fitting for the celebration. Please adjust the sugar to suit your taste.  I have used store brought roasted cashews for garnishing instead of fried cashew. You may opt for this or do the traditional way of frying the cashews and raisins in the ghee as mentioned in the recipe below.


You need –

  • Vermicelli/semiya – 1 cup
  • Milk – 1 litre
  • Condensed milk – 1 tin
  • Sugar – 2 tablespoon or as per taste
  • Cashew nuts & raisins – 1/4 cup each
  • Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tablespoon + extra for frying cashews and raisins

 

 
How to –
 
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy bottom pan and roast the semiya till golden brown.
 
Add milk and cook over low flame till semiya is cooked through and milk has reduced and bit thick. Stirring frequently. Add condensed milk and sugar. Mix till well combined.  
 
Add cardamom powder and turn off the heat.
 
In a pan, heat the ghee and fry the cashew nuts till golden brown. Add the raisins and fry till they puff up.  Add this to the payasam and serve hot or chilled.
 

Sending this recipe to the event – ” Favorite Food Event – Payasams/ Kheers” hosted by The Big Sweet Tooth

Kadala parippu pradhaman / Chana dal Kheer

| Rekha Vengalil


Onam is here again! and I have planned to post onam sadya recipes this week. Unsure if I will be able to do all of it by 16th; yet promise to fit in as much as possible. I already have a few that you might want to check out

And today I have this delicious payasam/pradhaman made of coconut milk and chana dhal. Traditionally fried coconut pieces are also added in but I forgot to buy them and realised only when I started making the payasam. 


You need –

  • Chana dal – 250 grams, cleaned & washed
  • Palm sugar/ Jaggery – 400 grams, grated
  • Coconut milk
    • Think Coconut milk – 3/4 cup
    • Medium thick coconut milk – 1.5 cups
    • Thin coconut milk – 3 cups
  • Ghee – 2 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon of frying cashewnuts
  • Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon
  • Cashewnut and coconut pieces – 40 grams each

How to –

In pressure cooker, cook the dal with enough water (around 3 cups). Once done mash roughly and set aside.


In pan melt the palm sugar/jaggery with 1/4 tablespoon water and aside. Now heat a heavy bottom pan and add 2 tablespoons of ghee. Add the cooked dal and melted jaggery and mix well. Be careful as the ghee will start to splatter so take care.

Stir till everything is well combined. Now add the thin coconut milk and bring to a rolling boil. Add the medium thick coconut milk and cook till the payasam thickens and reduces to half. Stir frequently. Add the Thick coconut milk and bring to a gently simmer.
Turn off the heat add the cardamom powder and mix well.


In a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee and fry the cashew and coconut pieces (if using) till golden brown. Add this to the payasam and mix well. Serve hot.