Carrot Kheer/Payasam- Carrot dessert in milk spiced up with Cardamom

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Some flavors blend so well you cannot tell them apart when together. Yet, together they are a flavor to reckon with. In the same way, if I served you the golden sunshine in the bowl below, and asked to describe its taste, you will be torn unable to decide if it is carrot halwa or semiya payasam.

The answer is right here on this page so please read on. You will agree with me on this when you go through the recipe. In the same breath I have to admit that it is better or equally good as carrot halwa or a payasam

I made this a month back and decided to post it only when I had some fresh carrot pictures to post alongside. Obviously, that never happened. The farmer's market doesn't have a good variety of veggies yet, and the carrots that I've planted this season are not ready for harvesting. Then again, when I remembered the bunnies that frequent my vegetable patch, I doubt they will leave any carrots for me to photograph. Everything considered, I decided today was the day to share this pleasantly surprising sweet delicacy with you. At a later time, provided the regular visitors in our yard, the Bunnies, leave some carrots for me to enjoy I shall share some pictures with you.

Speaking of carrots, did you know that most of the baby carrots we get in the US is processed, and "not so baby" carrots? I didn't know this until Sunitha mentioned it once. But there are some varieties that is "baby carrots, " albeit too expensive. The stats shows how consumption of carrots have grown exponentially post marketing baby carrots. And surely consumption shall soar once everyone knows how to make kheer or carrot halwa :-) You will agree 100 % after you have tasted some kheer yourself!

Ingredients:

Ghee- 2 Tbsp
Carrot grated- 2 cups
Milk- 2+1 cup
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
Almond slivers- 2 Tbsp


Method:

1.Heat 2 Tsp ghee in a deep and thick bottom pan.Throw in the grated carrots and fry till it is cooked through.
2. Pour in 2 cups of milk and allow to boil.
3.Lower the heat and let the carrot get cooked well.Stir in between. It takes almost 10-12 minutes.
4.By this time almost all the water content will be dried, do not add more milk at this point.
5.Add sugar and start stirring continuously, on low heat.Continue this till all the water gets evaporated and the mixture gets thickened.While stirring if you are able to see the path of the spoon/spatula without the mixture running over there immediately, it is done. This takes ~10- 12 minutes on medium low heat.
6.Slowly add the remaining milk into it. The point is that the boiling shouldn't get stopped while you pour the cold milk.This can be done on high heat and stirring continuously, while you add around 1/3 cup of milk at a time.
7.Once you added the milk, it should be boiled well.Pour more milk to get the desired consistency.Add the cardamom powder. Switch off the heat.
8.Garnish with slivered almonds. Serve warm or cold.

Notes:

1. You could reduce the sugar and add some condensed milk instead.
2.Also you could add some evaporated milk along with the normal milk after you boil with the sugar.

Aval Payasam/Rice flakes or beaten Rice Pudding

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Today’s is a recipe that took shape in 1960’s or maybe even earlier in my family.

It has been a while since we posted old recipes, hasn’t it? Hopefully, this one will change that and intrigue you enough to be included in your collection of ‘antiquities’. Valiyachen (my maternal grandfather) handed down this recipe for payasam to my father. Well, there is no hand-written-yellowed copy of this recipe to boast. However, like all Indian recipes learned by observing. My father learned it from –Valiyachen- and my sister and me from our father. And now, it makes me quite happy to share this treasure with you. Life cycle of a recipe! Huh!

I cannot help but say a little more about Valyachen. He was an avid cook. He was so good; I think he was better than my granny or mom. (I will have to convince my mom I don’t mean that). Valiyachen's industry is well known; running a business, laboring in the paddy-fields with the workers, cultivating thil/gingely/ellu and beans (urad) as in-between crops (crops done in-between paddy season), and cooking too. He was multi-talented. The thil (sesame) yielded from his fields he made into ellundas(jiggery sweetened sesame balls). From the yard – kitchen- mouth, can you imagine! Oh! The taste!
We lost him to cancer when I was just knee high. His memory thankfully is still fresh in my mind. Conversely, his image flashes in my mind like a framed painting; young man standing tall in his white dothi and plaid shirt, both hands busy with totes brimming with goodies, like ellunda,achappam ,upperi etc. His smile was the brightest growing ear to ear spotting us running to him when he visited. He adored and spoiled us and we loved him back with equal strength. I tell you, it amazes me even today how, in a male dominated society he was such a gentleman helping granny in the kitchen and being so adorable all at once.
My mom says grandpa made payasam, whenever it took his fancy. He never bothered to have a reason to celebrate (which is generally when payasam is made). My father takes this cue and does the same these days. I encourage you to do the same.

During my vacation in Kerala we cooked some together, reminiscing about Valiyachen and had a pleasant time. Whilst my children were making their childhood memories I refreshed some of mine!

I agree there is no need for a reason to make payasam but this post coincides with my sister and her daughter’s birthday. Therefore I take this opportunity to wish them both all the love and happiness. Chechi (as my sister calls me) is sharing this payasam with you all to celebrate my lil sister.

On a different note, there was a big wildfire in Boulder 2 days back. Some of you might have seen it on tv.Many families lost their houses though almost everyone is safe.About 3,500 acres is burned,8 people are missing and 90 structures are charred. All good thoughts and wishes to those who are affected and the firefighters who worked continuously for 2 days.

Ingredients:

Aval/Poha/Rice flakes-100g/1cup
Jaggery/Sarkkara- 200g/1 1/2 cup(1 medium sized ball)
Ghee-1 Tbsp+1 Tbsp
Coconut milk(first pressed milk)-From one med size coconut
Coconut milk(second pressed milk)-From one med size coconut(~4 cups)
Cumin/jeera powder-1 tsp
Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp
Dry Ginger powder-1 tsp

For Seasoning:

Cashews-2 Tbsp
raisins-2 Tbsp

Method:

1.Heat ghee and fry the aval till it turns golden brown by stirring continuously.
2.Melt jaggery after adding 2-3 Tbsp of water and sieve it n another pan.
3.Keep a thick bottom pan and pour the melted jaggery into it. Once it is heated up, add the fried aval and stir it continuously for about 20-25 minutes. Add a little more ghee in between.This is to combine aval and jaggery well.
4.Add the second pressed milk and cook well, stir continuously.This may take about 5-6 minutes.The consistency should be sightly on the watery side. Otherwise it gets thicker after you add the first pressed milk and the spices.
5.Meanwhile mix together the first pressed milk and all the spices without any lumps.
6.Switch off the heat and add the coconut milk mixture and mix well.
7.Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and add into the payasam.



Notes:

1.We used the Brown aval, but you could use the white one too,but use the thicker one.
2.You could replace a part of the coconut milk with the regular milk.
3.If you have never made fresh coconut milk, this note is for you :-).You have to squeeze so hard to take out the fresh first pressed coconut milk without adding any water. Once you are done with this, add a few spoons of warm water and grind it in a mixer or blender and press out the second coconut milk through a sieve.

Contributor: Namitha

Paal Payasam/Rice Kheer to say "Happy B'day Sunitha" !

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Dear Sunitha,

I wish for you to have people to love, people in your life who will care about you as much as I do. Happy birthday dear !



Dear Readers,

I wanted to make something special for Sunitha to wish her on her birthday and to let her know how special she is to me .So here is her favorite payasam and I would love to share this virtual treat with her and also with you all. I hope you all will join me in wishing her a very happy Birthday.

Everyone in my family likes pal payasam and I'm sure you will also love it. I am giving you the easiest and simple pressure cooker method and the original method.Believe me, both tastes the same. But it is all up to you, whether to follow the contemporary or authentic approach:-)

Ingredients:

Red Rice (unakkalari) - 1/2 Cup
Milk (whole milk)- 5 Cups
Sugar- 1 Cup
Ghee (optional)- 2 tsp

Method:
In pressure cooker:

1.Clean the rice by rubbing it on a cloth.If you are a cleanliness freak, wash the rice (quickly, don't soak it even for a minute!) and dry it completely before making payasam.
2.Throw in everything together in a cooker and let it boil, without the weight on.
3.When the steam starts coming keep the weight on and reduce the heat to medium low/simmer.
4.Let it sit on this heat for about 40 minutes.(no single whistle during this time)
5.Switch off the heat and let it sit for at least 2 hours before opening and transferring the payasam to serving dish.The more you keep the more pink color you will get.



On Stove Top:

1.Clean the rice as I have explained above.
2.Heat the ghee in a thick bottom pan and trow in the rice to saute for 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
3.Add 3 cups of milk and 1 cup of water and let it boil.
4.Once the milk starts boiling reduce the heat and let the rice cook well, but not mushy.This takes about 30-40 minutes depending on the variety of rice you use.
5.When the water is almost absorbed, add the sugar and keep stirring till you get a clear path behind the spatula you use to stir.This takes about 15 minutes on medium low heat.The more the time the more tastier it will get .(Then you should keep it on medium low heat )
6.Pour the remaining milk slowly after keeping the heat on medium high and let it boil after each addition.
7..If you want to have more watery consistency then you may add more milk.



Notes:

1. The authentic recipe doesn't call for any cardamom, cashews or raisins.But feel free to use it.
2.You could replace the red rice with Basmati/Sona Masoori/Long Grain rice varieties.But you will not get the dark pink color.
3.After preparing the payasam gets thicker once it cools down. You could adjust the consistency at any time by adding boiled milk into the payasam.

Ari Payasam/Rice kheer with Brown Sugar

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I have never made ari payasam before.  Last week during one of my conversation with Nami about sadya  the topic of payasam came about,  You know what a lot of talk about food can do.  Craving.  Yes, big time.   She had not posted her delicious payasam at that time so I had her on the phone and insisted she help me through the process.  She did and it came out quite well.  I am definitely happy to have been part of the whole Vishu deal this year.  I used brown sugar instead of jaggery hence the different color.  However, the taste was quite close.  Either ways,  if you feel like having some payasam and don't have all the traditional ingredients please feel free to try this recipe. 

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice -1/2 cup
Brown Sugar-1/3 cup/to your liking
Jeera(cumin) powder- 1/8 tsp
Cardamom powder- 2
Coconut Milk(canned)- 3/4 + 1/4 cup
Ghee (Clarified Butter)- 1 1/2 Tbsp

Method:

1.It's the same like we have explained here, except that you need to cook only rice for this recipe.
2.Once the rice is cooked add the ghee and the brown sugar and stir continuously till you get the one thread consistency. I found that brown sugar takes less time compared to jaggery.
3.Then add the diluted coconut milk (add 3/4 cup and 1 1/2 cup water to get this) while keeping on high heat and stirring and let the mixture boil well.
4.Switch off the heat and add the coconut milk with spice powders mixed and mix well.
5.Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and garnish.

Contributor: Sunitha

Rice &Greengram Payasam

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Hello there! We hope you all had a blessed Vishu.  It was kind of you to leave your good wishes and as always I enjoyed reading them all.  Today I am sharing the recipe for payasam (a dessert) which is served in Sadyas.  I was confused and undecided about which payasam to make this Vishu.  If I ask for suggestions to my husband and kids I will have as many different requests.  You will agree in this scenario it's best to make something everyone enjoys, as well as memorable of some great Vishus celebrated with family back home (India).

  When it comes to payasam my father is the guru.  He is a master at it and makes various kinds.  Recently, for a family function all the men decided to get together and under his guidance make payasam, for a party of around 400.  I mean, my dad is no Chef.  His profession was with the education board and at this age to take up a challenge like this?  I am sure my mom was anxious and fretted till the whole thing was over but from the reviews I have heard it was a success.   When I talk about payasam and discuss recipe with my dad and sister they are all information about how to go about it.  I am not as good as my dad but the recipe you can believe is coming from the right hands.  Tried and tested a million times you will not be disappointed. Enjoy a sweet treat and wish you have a pleasant weekend.



Ingredients:

Rice (preferably Red)- 2/3 cup
Moongdaal/cherupayar parippu (dry roasted)- 1/3 cup
Coconut Milk(canned)- 1 cup+ 1/4 cup (see the notes if you are using fresh coconut milk)
Jaggery (melted)- 2cups/to your taste
Ghee- 2 Tbsp+ 1Tbsp
Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger Powder- 1 tsp
Raisins- 1tbsp
Cashews(raw)- 2 Tbsp
Coconut slices(preferably copra)- 2 Tbsp




Method:

1.Dry roast the moong daal till it turns slight golden brown and let it cool by spreading on a paper.
2.Wash and drain the rice and keep aside.
3.In a thick bottom pan cook the roasted daal after adding 3-4 cups water.Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and allow to cook till it is half done. This took me about 11 minutes.The time varies depending on how much you have roasted it.
4.Now add the rice and boil again .Reduce the heat and let it cook completely.
5.The trick is to get both the daal and rice done at the end, without overcooking any.
6.This took me around 16-17 minutes.Stir carefully in between. If you think water is less add a little more and boil before reducing the heat.
7.The water should be a little bit on the higher side, compared to cooking rice for fried rice or for lunch.
8.Meanwhile keep the coconut milk ready.If you are using canned one, take 1 cup and add 2 cups of water in it and mix well.
9.In the remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk add the spice powders and mix well, so that there won't be any lumps.
10.Once the daal and rice is cooked add 2Tbsp of ghee and melted jaggery into it and stir well.
11.Once it starts boiling the mixture will start splattering, so be careful, and don't forget to reduce the heat while stirring continuously.
12.You have to continue stirring till it gets one thread consistency.
13.At this point slowly add the coconut milk water mixture and continue stirring. Now you could keep the heat at maximum.
14.One it boils well, say 3-4 minutes switch off the heat.
15.Add the coconut milk-spice mixture ad mix well.
16.Heat 1 Tbsp ghee in a frying pan and fry cashews, raisins and coconut slices, one by one, till they turn golden brown and garnish the payasam.



Notes:

If you are using fresh coconut milk, first you have to add the 3rd pressed milk followed by 2nd milk.Use the first pressed milk (without any water)for mixing the spice powders.

Contributor: Namitha

Semiya/Vermicelli payasam aka Kheer

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Hello everyone ! Thanks a ton for the birthday wishes !! I had a great day (but a busy one !) I wasn't sure what to treat myself with on my birthday until I talked to Sunitha :-) Thanks a lot buddy ! She convinced me it has to be payasam especially since we do not have one on our blog. Either ways, for all the four birthdays at home I make this payasam, 99 % ! This is a favorite and even the lil imp will finish off a bowl full.

There is one more reason for sharing this sweet dish with you..Our site has crossed 10K hits in less than 4 months. We can't tell you how happy we are.Thanks for the support and encouragement.

I have made this umpteen times, but this is the first time that I measured each and every ingredient,wanting to share it with you. My recipe is slightly different from what I have seen around and I hope you will love it as much as my family and I do .



Ingredients

Vermicelli/Semiya- 1/2 cup
Ghee-2 Tsp+ 2 Tsp
Milk- 1 1/2 cup + 2 1/2 cup
Water- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder- 1/2 Tsp
Cashews- 2 Tbsp
Raisins -1 Tbsp

Method :

1.Heat 2 Tsp ghee in a deep and thick bottom pan.Throw in the vermicelli anf fry till it is golden brown in color.
2. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of water and allow to boil.
3.Lower the heat and let the vermicelli get cooked well.Stir in between. It takes almost 10-12 minutes.
4.By this time almost all the water content will be dried, do not add more water or milk at this point.
5.Add sugar and start stirring continuously, on low heat.Continue this till all the water gets evaporated and the mixture gets thickened.While stirring if you are able to see the path of the spoon/spatula without the mixture running over there immediately, it is done. This takes ~10- 12 minutes on medium low heat.
6.Slowly add the milk into it. The point is that the boiling shouldn't get stopped while you pour the cold milk.This can be done on high heat and stirring continuously, while you add around 1/3 cup of milk at a time.
7.Once you added the milk, it should be boiled well.Pour more milk to get the desired consistency.Add the cardamom powder. Switch off the heat.
8.Heat 2 tsp ghee ina pan and fry the cahsews and raisins till golden brown, one after the other and garnish the payasam with this. Serve warm or cold.

Notes:
1.The sugar I've used will give you a moderately sweet payasam, you may add if you want your payasam more sweeter.
2.You may have to add more milk to get a desired consistency, if you are serving it later. Semiya gets thickened as it cools down.

Contributor :Namitha