Aravana Payasam

1/2 cup basmati rice washed 2 coconuts grated 2 cups litre milk 1 cup ghee 1-1/2 cups jaggery 2 tbsps cashew nuts 2 tbsps raisins 1 tsp cardamom powder

Reserve 2 tbsps grated coconut and grind the rest to extract thick milk. Grind again adding water and extract thin milk a second time. Boil rice in the thin coconut milk. When the rice is half cooked, add the thick milk. When the rice is cooked fully and the coconut milk is thick, add fresh milk and cook. Add jaggery and boil the payasam till the jaggery is blended with the rice. Add ghee. Roast cashew nuts on a dry griddle, add to the payasam. Add the raisins and cardamom powder. Chill and offer garnished with grated coconut.

Banana Sago Payasam

Long variety banana (Nenthra pazham - Kerala banana) 2 Sago cup Sugar cup Coconut 1 Cashewnuts, cup Raisins, handful Ghee 4 tbsps Cardamom powder 2 pinches Salt a pinch

Peel the banana and cut lengthwise. Again cut into two. Now cut this into one inch size pieces. Heat the ghee and fry the cashewnuts and raisins till light brown and remove. Add the banana. Fry till brown and remove. Crush the coconut and take out a cup of first extraction of milk. Add one cup water to the coconut and take 1-1/2 cups of second extraction of milk. Add some more water and take out 2 cups of third extraction of milk. Wash the sago and cook in the extraction of milk. When half-cooked add the second milk and sugar. Cook till sago is completely cooked. Add the banana pieces, a pinch of salt and cardamom powder and cook for few seconds. Add the first milk and stir well. When it starts to boil, remove from fire. Garnish with nuts and raisins.

Bengali Chaler Payesh

3/4 cup Basmati Rice 4-1/4 cups milk 1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp cardomon 12 Almonds 10-15 Raisins

Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes. Heat the milk on medium flame. Keep on adding sugar to the milk and keep stirring. When the milk starts to boil, add the rice slowly to it. Remember to keep stirring the milk continuously. After about 20-25 minutes, when the milk has thickened and the rice grains have become soft, add cardamon to it and stir gently. Remove the container from flame and add almonds sliced into half and raisins on top. Cool the payesh and keep it in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Offer chilled.

Bengali Payesh
4-1/4 cups Milk cup Basmati rice (soaked for an hour and half) 3-4 tblsp. Sugar 5-6 Pistachios, sliced 50 gms. Cashews, sliced 25 gms. Raisins, sliced

Boil the milk on low heat for 10-12 minutes and then add the rice. Continue boiling on low till the rice is tender. Stir frequently. Add sugar and continue stirring till the milk becomes slightly dense and the colour becomes light pink. Empty it in a broad vessel and garnish it with the cashew, raisin and pistachio. Put it in the refrigerator for cooling. Offer it chilled.

Coconut Payasam
1 Cup Rice 2 tsp chopped Almonds 2 Cups Milk 1 cup Coconut milk 1 tin Evaporated milk 1/2 cup Sugar 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Soak rice for 15 minutes. Boil milk in a deep vessel, add coconut milk to it and boil it for 5 minutes. Add the soaked rice and cook. When it is done, add sugar, cardamom powder and chopped almonds and allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Then add the evaporated milk and boil it for some time.

Gasakasa (Poppy Seeds) Payasam

Poppy seeds cup Sugar 1 cup Milk 1 cup Pistachios (pistas) cup, minced

Soak poppy seeds in water for 3 hours and grind into a nice paste in blender. Add the sugar and milk. Stir well and boil up to 15 minutes. Add ghee fried cashews and pistas for delicious taste.

Konkani Mango Payasam

3 1 1 1 4 Ripe Mangoes cup finely grated jaggery cup thick coconut milk tsp. cardamom powder tbs. ghee

Put jaggery in two cups water and prepare a syrup. Peel and slice the mangoes. Cook the mangoes in a little water till soft. Add syrup and cook till thick. Add ghee, mix well and then add coconut milk. Heat to simmering. Sprinkle cardamom powder on top and serve hot.

Narkeler Payesh
3/4 cup Basmati 1-1/2 cups water 2 Tbs. golden raisins 2 Tbs. toasted cashews or slivered almonds 1 tsp. ground cardamom 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. sugar 1-1/4 cups fresh or unsweetened canned coconut milk, stirred until evenly mixed For Garnish: fresh ripe papayas, bananas, mangoes chopped raw pistachios

Bring rice and water to boil in a pan. Simmer, covered, until all water is absorbed and rice is tender, 20 or so minutes. Add raisins, cashews, and cardamom. Dissolve sugar in the coconut milk and stir into the rice mixture gently, so as not to break the rice kernels. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. Garnish with pistachios and serve.

Notun Gurer Payesh

Milk 2 liters Jaggery 1 cup Basmati Rice 1 cup Green elaichi (cardamom) 2 Sugar 1 tbsp.

Wash the rice and dry for an hour. Boil the milk and when boiled for at least 15-20 minutes, add the dry rice. Keep stirring, add 1 tbsp of sugar and cook. When the milk thickens and the rice becomes soft, cool it and break the jaggery into this. Lastly add the elaichis and garnish with raisins or nuts.

Paal Payasam
cup rice 3 cups milk 1 can sweetened condensed Milk 4 elakas (cardamom) powdered Sugar cup For Pachaikarpooram: Ghee 2 tsp Cashew nuts - 15-20 Raisins (Kismis), handful For Garnish: - tsp Spanish saffron strands, crushed 8-10 almonds, skinned & finely sliced A Tbsp of Pistas (pistachios), finely sliced

Soak the cashews in warm water for an hour then drain, slice and fry in ghee to a golden brown. Fry the raisins. Dry roast the rice (without ghee) in a dry kadai over low heat to a golden brown - remove and leave to cool. Wash nicely till water runs clear. Put the rice in a pressure cooker, add the 3 cups of milk and cook for 10 minutes. You could also cook the rice and milk on a low heat till the rice is soft and dissolves in the milk, add sugar and condensed milk and keep on stirring till the sugar has dissolved, the condensed milk has blended with the milk/rice mixture and thickness achieved. Remove from heat, add elaka podi, fried cashew nuts and raisins. Mix well and leave to cool down to room temperature. Add the pachaikarpooram powder, mix again. Garnish with finely sliced almonds and pistas, sprinkle crushed Spanish saffron, and offer.

Payesh
Basmati rice: 1/2 cup Milk: 2 liters. Sugar: 4tbsp. Rice 3-4 tbsp. Few raisins

Sliced almonds Ghee: 1 tbsp Chopped cashew nuts Green cardamom : 2 Rosewater : Few drops

Wash rice and dry it on a plate and set aside. Heat milk in a large pan. Simmer until it is reduced to 3 quarters its original volume. Add 1 tbsp ghee to washed rice and mix it. After that add to the milk. Add sugar when the rice is tender. Continue cooking until milk is reduced to half its thickness. Add the raisins, almonds and chopped cashew nuts, green cardamom powder. Remove from heat and add rose water. Cool and serve.

Pesarapappu Payasam
1 cup of Moong dal, soaked 1/4 cup basmati rice, dry roasted and coarsely ground in grinder 3 cups thickened milk 1 cup sugar or Jaggery dissolved into thick syrup 1 tsp cardamom powder Badam (almonds), Kaju (cashews) and raisins for garnishing 1/2 cup ghee

Cook the moong dal till soft (but not too soft) like a paste and set aside. Heat ghee in a pan, add the coarsely ground basmati rice. Add water and cook covered till done. Add the moong dal to this. Add the sugar/jaggery syrup and cook on simmered flame till it is well blended with dal and rice. Now add the thickened milk to this and cook well on slow flame and till you get the desired consistency. Add the chopped nuts and raisins and remove from fire. Offer hot or chilled.

Sabhudana Payasam
6 Cups Milk 2 Cups Sabudana (tapioca / sago seeds) 2 Cups Sugar 5 Cardamons (elachi) Few Cashews and Raisins 2 tbsp Ghee

Wash and cook sabudana with water. Cook till sabhudana IS soft. Once sabhudana cooked add pre-boiled milk. Cook for a while until sabhudana and milk mix and cook together (like payasam). Add elachi powder. Fry raisins and cashews in ghee and add them to the payasam, then offer.

Tamil Carrot Payasam

Carrot - 1, large Sugar - 1/3 cup Milk - 1 cup Cardamom - 2 pods Cashews - 4 Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cut the carrot into small pieces and cook. Drain the water and make into a paste. Heat the ghee, add the carrot paste to it and stir. Add sugar and some water and mix. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Garnish with the cardamom and cashews fried in ghee, and offer.

Tamil Coconut Payasam

Rice - 2 tbsp Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp Jaggery - 1/3 cup Cardamom - 2 pods

Soak the rice in hot water for 1/2 hour. To this add the coconut and blend into a coarse paste. Boil 1/2 cup water and when boiling, add the paste and stir continuously till the mixture cooks well. Add the grated jaggery to this and simmer. Garnish with the cardamom and some ghee, and offer.

Tamil Javvarasi (Sago) Payasam

Javvarasi (sago, tapioca) - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1 cup Milk - 1 cup Cardamom - 3 pods Cashews - 3 Raisins - 6 Ghee - 2 tbsp

Fry the javvarasi in ghee until golden brown. To this add 1/2 cup water and stir continuously. After the javvarasi has been cooked, add the sugar and stir till it melts. Remove from fire and add the boiled milk and powdered cardamom. Mix well. Fry the cashews in the remaining ghee and add to the payasam. Offer hot or warm.

Tamil Ravai Payasam

Ravai - 1/4 cup Gram Dhal - 1/4 cup Milk - 1 cup Jaggery (powdered or grated) - 1/2 cup Cardamom - 2 pods Cashews - 5 Ghee - 2 tbsp

Fry the and let several in ghee

ravai in ghee and stirring continuously, add 1/2 cup water. Add the dhal to this it cook along with the ravai. Add the jaggery and bring to a boil, cooking for minutes. Add the powdered cardamom and milk. Garnish with the cashews fried and offer.

Tamil Rice Payasam (Akkaravadisal)

Cooked rice - 1 cup Sugar or Jaggery - 1 cup Grated coconut - 1/2 cup Cardamom - 2 pods

Mash the cooked rice smoothly adding some water, if needed. Add the sugar or jaggery and the coconut and cook further. Add the cardamom. Remove from the fire and if needed, after it has cooled down a little, add 1/2 cup boiled milk and mix well.

Tamil Semiya Payasam

Semiya (broken vermicelli) - 5 tbs Sugar - 1 cup Milk - 1 cup Cardamom - 3 pods Cashews - 3 Raisins - 6 Ghee - 2 tbsp

Fry the Semiya in ghee until golden brown. To this add 1/2 cup water and stir continuously. After the semiya has been cooked, add the sugar and stir till it melts. Remove from fire and add the boiled milk and powdered cardamom. Mix well. Fry the cashews in the remaining ghee and add to the payasam.