Thursday, June 18, 2009

Indian Milk Pudding (Paal Payasam )


Here is a treasure from south Indian cuisine, an Indian pudding that is made with just milk, sugar, rice and flavored with cardamom powder and nuts. This payasam is featured in almost all tamilian celebrations from weddings to birthdays to anniversaries and its presence on the menu invariably causes a great deal of expectation, at least on my side.

Paal means milk in tamil (one of the languages spoken in southern India) and payasam is the tamil term for any sweet preparation which has a thicker consistency than milk but not quite as thick as evaporated milk. The simple description of this sweet is deceptive in the sense that it is not adequate in explaining the creaminess or the awesome taste of this sweet.

The best thing about this desert besides its awesome taste is that it is very simple to prepare and can be prepared with everyday items found in our kitchens.It does not have a very complicated procedure to make and even beginners in the kitchen can attempt this dessert successfully. In addition this one is always well liked by people with a sweet tooth like me, making it a great menu addition when entertaining guests.

 Indian milk pudding- Paal payasam photo 8c73a4ef-2107-4906-bff8-a8ea642302ce_zpsbfeee956.jpg



Ingredients and method to make paal payasam
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup long grain basmati soaked in water for 30 mins
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/8 tsp cardamom seed powder
1/8 cup sugar (optional) (or according to taste)

Optional garnish
1 tsp clarified butter (ghee)
3 tsp broken cashew pieces


Soak basmati rice soaked in water for 30 mins.

In a large very heavy bottomed pan mix milk, condensed milk and sugar and heat on medium to medium low heat and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Drain basmati rice and add to this milk and let it cook until soft.

Simmer the milk on a low heat stirring often until it reduces to about 1/2 of its original quantity.

When the rice is cooked and the milk is reduced to half, add cardamom seed powder and remove from heat.

Heat clarified butter and add cashew pieces to it, when the cashew pieces begin to brown a little remove from heat and add it to the payasam.

Serve hot or cold

Serves about 2-3

Notes

I used both the condensed milk and sugar and it was sufficiently sweet, not too much or too little, if you like milder sweets you could exclude the additional sugar and just use sweetened condensed milk

Everyone seems to have their preferences with regard to consistency, if you like a thicker consistency allow it to simmer a tad bit longer, and if you like your payasam a tad bit thinner, remove it from heat a tad bit earlier. 

35 comments :

Finla said...

I love payasom, but not palpayasom, my favourite is the parippu payasom ;)-)
still this really looks yummy.

Anonymous said...

OH this looks spectacular darling, I have not had the lucky chance of having this yet - (

chef and her kitchen said...

Nice n creamy payasam Usha..Even though I dont have a sweet tooth I do crave for them sometime....looks yummy..

kittymatti said...

Slurp! Looks so perfect!

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nothing can beat the taste of our traditional payasam Usha...looks yummy...nice click :)

Parita said...

Sweet and delicious! nice click!

lata raja said...

What a lovely payasam.I love paal payasam so much that I end up having most of the share.And awesome picture,I can see how creamy it is!!

ARUNA said...

wow looks very tempting Usha!!!!

Unknown said...

Looks nice & rich..

Varsha Vipins said...

Oh..its ma favv Usha..for me,the most tastiest thing in the world..:)

CurryLeaf said...

Looks delicious and superbly creamy

Manju said...

aaahh..the classic! :)

Preety said...

love to have this anytime..

Deepthi Shankar said...

condensed milk in Paal Payasam sounds really good

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a classic dish!!!my favourite!

Mangala Bhat said...

wow! milk payasam ,,looks soo yummy ! condense milk is payasam sounds interesting :)

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

oh yummy yummy payasam....i want it right now :(

Laavanya said...

Paal payasam is my absolute favorite - my dad makes this really well! Looks so tempting Usha.

Myvegfare said...

hi usha, lovely paayasam, this is hubby's favourite I think i have still have it in my edit list or did i post it ? i am confused now !, i need to check it out !, my perippa was too good in making this..., yours look very yummy, i don't do with carnation milk....

Jyoti said...

Looks creamy and delicious !

Uma said...

mmm. pal payasam looks so creamy and delicious Usha!! Love that pretty bowl :)

Kumudha said...

Paal payasam looks so yummy! I often make it with rice or almond milk.

gtyuk said...

I love Paal Paayaassam too, I do it without the condensed milk :) nice drink :)

Sharmila said...

Looks delicious! :-)

Chitra said...

oh wow, it looks creamy and glossy..wish to taste it..have bookmarked it:)will make it sooon and let u know:)

Srikitchen said...

who wont love this delicious dessert?

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Looks lovely dear!

Unknown said...

One of my favorite dessert ;)YUMMY!

Saritha said...

I love this but i prefer jaggery than sugar :)

Malar Gandhi said...

Rich payasam, very inviting...now pass me the bowl.

Sukanya Yogesh said...

Looks so yummy....Our Traditional pal payasam nothing to beat it. I have a post as well dedicated to Pal Payasam which can be seen in most wedding traditional lunches in Tamilnadu & Kerala
http://sukanya-keralaiyer.blogspot.com/search?q=Pal+payasam

jayanthi said...

hi usha.........nice to see your yummy thick paal payasam. did you know that only mumbai caterers make the best paal payasam? go down south and you will see disasters in the name of paal payasam. From my personal experience i never use cardomom powder and fried cashews in the paal payasam because in my opinion these things kill the taste of the milk. i use these only in other payasams.

Hari Chandana P said...

One of my favorite desserts.. thanks for sharing.. :)

Kavitha said...

hi usha, how are u?? Thanks for you comment usha. And your milk pudding also looks so yummy....feel like having now... after a long time you have visited my blog i think...welcome again....keep posting your comments and suggestions....thanks again...

Anonymous said...

Usha, am craving for this creamy payasam now....we dont get sweetened condensed milk here in Germany and the ones we get are a light beige colored non sweetened...I didnt like the taste when I made payasam out of them..do u use the milkmaid like stuff??

And.. post ur festive recipes to global ganesha food festival in my blog!

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