Aval/Beaten Rice Payasam

I'm sure all of you had a great Onam, complete with fun, games, dance and music. Hope you celebrated the festival of togetherness wherever you are, with a grand sadya. For those of you who are yet to prepare a grand Onasadya, here is a mouthwateringly delicious payasam recipe. Super simple and tastes absolutely heavenly.

Onam reminds me of so many good things, Payasam is just one among them. Onam brings back a lot of good memories of monsoon, the special dragon flies called onathumbi, onakkodi (the new dress), athappookkalam (flower carpet), sadya served on banana leaves, swing on the big jack fruit tree that has a seat made of kavalan madal (widest part of coconut leaf stem), family get togethers and all the cousins coming over, the flowers that bloom only during this season; like the purple colored onappoovu and pure white thumbappoovu and of course the ten day long vacation. How much I miss Onam in Kerala! I tried my level best to recreate, at least a part of what I used to get as a kid, at home last year for family and a few cousins with a small sadya; but this year with my baby girl keeping me busy, that just did not happen. The best I could do was prepare this delish payasam.

This is adapted from my mum's recipe. She is an avid cook and a great foodie.

Onam is a day of abundance, color, food and and merry making in Kerala.  I hope to spread that cheer to you with this sweet, gratifying and well prepared payasam. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I did.

Ingredients

3 fistfuls of Beaten Rice/Aval/Poha (I used the Red variety)

1 and 1/2 litres Cow's Milk; boiled

6 to 9 tablespoons Sugar (adjust quantity of sugar as per your preferance)

3 to 4 tablespoons Ghee

5 to 6 pods of Cardamom; skin taken out and seeds powdered

1 to 1 & 1/2 tablespoons Raisins

10 to 15 Cashewnuts

Method

Fry the beaten rice in ghee for a few minutes or till it reduces a little in quantity. Keep aside.

Take a shallow pan and fry both the raisins and cashewnuts separately. Keep aside.

Take a soup pot and pour into it the boiled milk. Add the lightly fried beaten rice into the milk and let it cook. (15 to 20 minutes approx.) At this time, add the sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. Cook till the payasam begins to become thick and the color of the payasam turns a light pinkish-brown. Switch off flame and throw in the fried dry fruits. Stir and close for a few minutes. Serve warm.

Delicious Beaten Rice Payasam is ready to be devoured. One taste and you’ll find yourself veering back into the dish for generous spoonfuls. Enjoy! And hey you don't need Onam to enjoy yummy payasam! :)

Recipe Courtesy: My most loving Mumsy!