How to prepare payasams?

Mango Payasam

Payasam can be used as one of Baby's First Foods, since it is soft and cooked in milk. In South India (especially in kerala) it is famously known as 'payasam' and is an integral part of a wedding or festival spread which is traditionally served on a banana leaf. Different varieties of payasams are there. Here I am going to prepare a special one with mangoes.

Ingredients

1. Ripe mango (Alphonso) - 6 nos (big)

2. Coconut (grated) - 3 nos.

3. Tender coconut - 1 no.

4. Sago (chowari) - 100 gm

5. Jaggery - 500 gm

6. Cashew nuts (sliced) - 20 gm

7. Raisins - 20 gm

8. Ghee - 3 tbsp

9. Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

10. Dry ginger powder - one pinch

11. Honey - 1 tsp

Preparation and Cooking

1. Wash and peel the mangoes and cut into small pieces. Cook them in a cooker with minimum amount of water (200ml), 2 whistles are enough. Open the cooker after 15 minutes and grind the cooked mango pieces into a fine paste after cooling.

2. Cook sago in 5 cups of water in medium heat and keep aside.

3. Cut tender coconut into small pieces. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee and roast coconut pieces, raisins and cashew nuts and keep aside.

4. In a heavy bottomed vessel melt jaggery.

5. Add the mango pulp into the melted jaggery and stir well in a medium flame until all the water contents evaporate.

6. From 3 grated coconuts, take 1 cup of thick (first) extract, 2 cups of semi thick (second) extract and 3 cups of thin (third) extract.

7. Add the very thin portion to the thick mango-jaggery decoction and mix well. Stir well until the bubbles come.

8. Then add cardamom powder and ginger powder to it and mix well. Let it boil for 10 minutes in medium flame.

9. Then add cooked sago and the second extract of coconut milk to the vessel and stir continuously.

10. After that, add roasted coconut pieces, raisins and cashew nuts and mix well.

11. Then add the first extract into it, stir well and put off the flame.

12. Finally add 1 tsp of honey to the payasam. Mix well and close the vessel for 5 minutes.

13. Now the payasam is ready. Let it cool and serve.

Milk Payasam

Milk payasam is a traditional preparation, especially in Kerala. It is one of the simplest among other payasams. It is a very sweet tasting dish and can be served in functions. Let’s try these sweet recipe!

Cook Time

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ready in : 25 min

Yield : Serves 4 glasses

Ingredients

1. Boiled rice - ½ kg

2. Sugar -1 kg

3. Milk - 2 litres

4. Condensed milk - 200 g

5. Raisins - 50 g

6. Cashew nuts - 50 g

7. Ghee - 1 tsp

8. Water - 1 litre

9. Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Preparation and Cooking

1. Add 1 litre of water into 2 litres of milk and boil it well.

2. Then add boiled rice (wash 2-3 times with water) into it. Stir well occasionally.

3. Heat 1 tsp of ghee and roast the cashew nuts and raisins. Keep aside.

4. When the rice is about 75% cooked, add 1 kg of sugar and stir it well.

5. When the decoction thickens, add 200 g of condensed milk, the roasted cashew nuts and raisins into it.

6. Then put off the flame and add 1 tsp of cardamom powder. Milk payasam is READY! Now it’s the time to taste it!

Oats payasam

Oats contain soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad," cholesterol. Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fiber. Now let’s try a special payasam with oats!

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 15 min

Ready in: 25 min

Yields: Serves 6 people

Ingredients

1. White oats - 1 cup

2. Milk - 1 litre

3. Sugar - 1 cup

4. Ghee - 1 tbsp

5. Cashew nuts (sliced) - 10 g

6. Raisins - 10 g

7. Water - 2 cup

Preparation and Cooking

1. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee and roast the sliced cashew nuts and raisins in it. Keep aside.

2. Add 2 cups of water into 1 litre of milk and boil well.

3. To this, add 1 cup of white oats and boil for 5 minutes in a medium flame.

4. Add 1 cup of sugar into it and boil with continuous stirring until it becomes semi-thick and then put off the flame.

5. Transfer it into a serving bowl and add the roasted cashew nuts and raisins into the payasam.

6. Mix and serve hot.