RICH SAVIGE PAYASA/SEMIYA PAYASAM/SHAHI VERMICELLI KHEER

Ingredients 

Savige/vermicelli: ¼ cup
Water: 1 cup
Ghee: 2 tbsp
Sugar: ½ cup
Milk: 2 cups
Almond powder: 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp

For making paste(soaked for 30 minutes)
Basmati rice: 1 tbsp
Khas khas: 1 tsp
Fresh grated coconut: 2 tbsp

For garnishing 
Cashew pieces: 2 tbsp

Preparation 

• Take a pan add 1 tbsp ghee, roast cashews till golden color and transfer it to a bowl. 
• Now add remaining ghee, add savige and roast till it changes color.
• Transfer the savige to a heavy bottomed vessel add water and cook in low flame till soft. Keep stirring in between so that it doesn't stick the pan.
• Once soft add sugar and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Switch off the stove  and add milk, mix properly.
• Switch on the stove and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Grind the soaked ingredients and make a thick paste.
• Add the paste and almond powder to savige mixture, mix and cook for a minute.
• Switch off the stove and add cardamom powder, mix.
• Garnish with cashews pieces.
• Relish the payasa hot or cold. 

Notes 

• Almonds can be used instead of almond powder by soaking it along with soaked ingredients.
• Switching off the stove is important before adding milk as the milk may cuddle when added with sugar at high temperature.
• Cook in a low flame and keep stirring so that it doesn't stick the vessel.
• In simple version of Savige payasa, soaked portion and almond powder can be skipped and cooking part may need 2 to 3 minutes more to get the required consistency. Sugar can be adjusted as per taste.

SAKKARE PONGAL

Yields: 5 cups

Ingredients

Rice: ½ cup
Moong dal/Hesarubele: ¼ cup
Jaggery/Gud/Bella: 2 cups
Milk: 1 cup
Badam/Almond: 8 nos
Fresh grated coconut: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp
Saffron: 3-4 strings(soaked in 2 tbsp hot milk)
Khas khas/Poppy seeds: 1 tsp
Cashewnuts/Kaju: 1 tbsp
Raisins/Draksh: 1 tsp
Edible camphor: a pinch
Ghee: 4 tbsp

Preparation

1. Roast lightly both rice and dal (just warm it) and pressure cook it together by adding 2¼ cups of water.
2. Soak almond and remove skin.
3. Now make jaggery syrup by adding ¼ cup of water to jaggery dissolve and remove impurities. Boil it till you get one string paka.
4. Grind soaked almond, khas khas, grated coconut, saffron, camphor, cardamom powder in a mixer.
5. Take a big pan(with thick bottom) or pressure cooker and add 1 tbsp ghee, fry cashewnuts, raisins and transfer to a bowl.
6. Now add cooked rice-dal mixer, milk, grinded almond mix.
7. Mix and cook in a low flame for 15-20 minutes till it thickens.
8. Switch off the flame, add jaggery syrup and mix it properly. Switching off the flame and adding the jaggery syrup will help the milk not getting cuddled.
9. Switch on the flame, cook for 15-20 minutes by adding 1 tbsp ghee in between.
10. Keep stirring continuously so that it doesn't stick the pan.
11. Once the pongal thickens, switch off the flame and garnish with fried dry fruits.

KALSAKKARE AKKI PAYASA/KALKAND PAYASAM

Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients

Cooked rice: 1/2 cup
Kalsakkare/kalkand/rock candy/mishri: 1/2 cup
Dry fruits(kaju/draksh/badam): 1 tbsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
Saffron: 2-3 strings(soaked in 1 tbsp of hot milk)

Preparation

1. Take kalsakkare in a pan, add 2 tsp of water and dissolve by heating.
2. Remove from flame, add rice and mix properly.
3. Bring it to boil. Switch off stove, add soaked saffron, cardamon powder and mix.  
4. Take another pan add ghee and fry dry fruits till golden color.
5. Garnish with dry fruits.
6. While boiling hot the consistency of the payasa will be semi solid. As the payasa cools it gets very thicker and drier. It can be enjoyed both ways based on your preference.

Notes 

A very handy recipe, when we have lot of kalsakkare accumulated by the way of prasada from temples.

ATTAE KI KHEER/GODIHITTU PAYASA/WHEAT FLOUR PORRIDGE

Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

Wheat flour/godihittu: 2 tbsp
Sugar : ½ cup
Milk: ½ cup
Water: ½ cup
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Cashewnuts: 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder: ½ tsp

Preparation 

1. Take 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan, fry cashewnuts and keep aside.
2. Add 2 tbsp of ghee in the same pan and add wheat flour, roast it. 
3. Once its roasted add water and cook for 5 minutes by stirring continously so that lumps are not formed.
4. Add milk, cook for 2 minutes and switch off the stove.
5. Add sugar, mix and bring it to boil. Simmer and cook for 5 minutes and bring it to the consistency of idli batter.
6. Once done add cardamom powder and garnish with cashewnuts. 

Note

1. If you need thinner consistency, after adding sugar just bring it to boil and switch of the flame. Cooking on simmer for extra time will only thicken it.
2. If the amount of ghee is more than the wheat flour and roasted till it releases a fragrance then lumps won't be formed.
3. 3-4 strings of saffron can be added for flavor and color.

HEALTHY RAGI HITTU PAYASA/MILLET PORRIDGE

Here comes a healthy and easy dessert not too common yet very tasty. I made this for the first time today as I was quite bored of making the traditional payasas and wanted to make something different. I was quite surprised by how such a simple preparation made of Ragi (which many do not like) turned out to be so good. It encourages me to make this payasa more often. Ragi is a health fad currently and rightly so. The use of Jaggery instead of sugar in this recipe makes this suitable for diabetic people too.

Yields: 4 cups

Ingredients

Store bought Plain ragi hittu/powder: 2 tbsp
Jaggery: 5 tbsp(powdered)
Water: 1 1/2 cup
Milk: 1 1/2
Almond/Badam powder: 1 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tsp
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Almonds/Badam pieces: 1 tbsp

Preparation

1. Take a pan, add ghee and roast ragi powder in it for 4-5 minutes.(till it releases a flavorful aroma)
2. Add water and mix it without lumps. (if needed switch off stove and mix to avoid lumps)
3. Add jaggery, mix it and bring it to boil.
4. Add milk, badam powder, mix and cook for 1- 2 minutes.
5. Switch off the stove and add cardamom powder and mix it.
6. Garnish it with badam pieces.
7. Serve hot or cold.

Notes

1. Quantity of Milk can be increased or decreased depending on desired consistency.
2. This payasa thickens fast and doesn't need much of cooking time, since the ragi powder is already roasted. If left to cook for a longer duration, the end result will be of very thick consistency, almost halwa-like.
3. Badam powder is added for added flavour, however it is not a necessary ingredient and can be skipped too.
4. Cashewnuts can be added instead of badam pieces. I used almonds just to make it different.
5. Instead of jaggery, dates can be added to make it more healthier (soak dates for 1/2 an hour, grind by adding milk and add it at the stage when milk is added).

AVALAKKI PAYASA

Every festival in our Hindu calendar calls for preparing payasa and it can be quite a challenge to not dish out the same payasa each festival. While there are many different varieties of payasas to prepare, the choice of payasa depends on the availability of time and the occassion. Avalakki payasa is one such payasa which can be prepared on any festival and is the easiest of them to make. It is of special importance on Krishnashthami as Avalakki is considered to be very dear to Lord Krishna.

You can refer to the blog for other Avalakki recipes like Gojju avalakki, Mosaru avalakki. Further you can find recipes for Krishnashthmi special fried snacks like Uppicheede, Bellada cheede, Chakli, Tengul, Ribbon pakoda, Thatte in this blog too.

Ingredients

Medium Poha/avalakki/Beaten rice/aval: 1/2 cup (powdered)
Milk: 1.5 cups
Water: 1/2 cup
Jaggery: 3/4 cup (powdered)
Badam powder: 2 tbspn
Kaju draksh: 10 nos. each
Fresh coconut: 1 tbsp
Elaichi/Cardamom powder: 1/4 tspn
Ghee: 1 tbspn

Preparation

• Take a pan, add the powdered poha and water and mix it. Now add milk and bring it to a boil.
• Switch off the stove and add badam powder and jaggery and mix well.
• Fry the kaju draksh in ghee and keep aside.
• Bring the mixture to a boil and add elaichi/cardamom powder, kaju draksh and mix.
• Garnish with fresh coconut.
• Payasa can be relished hot or cold.

BESAN KI KHEER/ KADALE HITTU PAYASA

Yields : 4cups

Ingredients

Besan/Kadalehittu: 2 tbspn
Milk: 2 cups
Water: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/2 cup or as required
Ghee: 3 tbspn
Kaju draksh: 2 tbspn
Badam powder: 2 tbspn
Cardamom powder: 1/4 tspn


Preparation

• Take 1 tbspn ghee in a pan and fry kaju draksh and keep aside.
• In the same pan add 2 tbspn ghee and fry besan till it becomes fluffy and colour changes a little.
• Add water and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.
• Add milk little by little and keep stirring for 5-7 min.
• Switch off the stove and add sugar, badam powder and stir for a minute
• Switch on the stove and bring the payasa to a boil. Add cardamom powder at this stage.
• Garnish with the fried kaju draksh.

GASAGASE PAYASA / KHAS KHAS KHEER

Yields : 4-5 cups

Ingredients

1. Rice: 1 tbspn
2. Chana dal: 1 tspn
3. Khas khas/poppy seeds: 1 tbspn
4. Almonds/Badam: 8-10 nos
5. Grated coconut: 2 tbspn
6. Grated jaggery: 1-1.5 cups
7. Milk: 2 cups
8. Cardamom powder: 1/4 tspn
9. Cashew & Raisins: 8-10 each
10. Ghee: 1 tspn
11. Saffron: 3-4 strands (soak in warm milk)

Preparation

1. Soak ingredients listed under 1-4 above for 1-1.5 hrs.
2. Grind coconut along with soaked ingredients.
3. Cook the above mixture with 1 cup of water for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Once cooked, add jaggery and bring it to a boil. Switch off the flame.
5. After 2-3 minutes add milk and soaked saffron and bring it to a boil.
6. Fry Cashew and Raisins in ghee and garnish the payasa with it.