“Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen—a happily-ever-after to supper.”

Terri Guillmets

All desserts like cakes and puddings are notorious for their stringent recipe measures but when it comes to most Indian desserts this is an anomaly. Each of our homes have different methods and measures for the same dish. That also lends to its uniqueness. Payasam is no stranger to this!

I have always struggled with the right ratio for this simple rice pudding. As the pudding cools down it tends to thicken and I have to keep adding milk to dilute it. Otherwise I end up adding too much sugar. As always, Preethi chechi came to my rescue and shared her recipe with me. Trust me, the ratio is just perfect and the best part is with a little math, you can make the recipe for just a cup of payasam!

Ingredients

Roasted Vermicelli – 50gms

Whole Milk – 1 litre

Sugar – 1/2 cup

Cardamom – 1-2 (optional)

Ghee (clarified butter)- 1 tbsp

Cashew Nut (chopped) – as preferred

Raisins -as preferred

Method

In a large pan/wok, heat 1tsp of ghee.

Roast the vermicelli until golden brown and set it aside.

Bring the milk to a boil in this pan/wok .

Add 1-2 bruised cardamon pods to the milk. You could skip this option if you do not prefer the flavour or reduce the quantity.

Add the roasted vermicelli and sugar to this boiling milk and let the vermicelli cook.

Check the milk for sugar and add extra if needed. It tends to be sweeter when the payasam cools down. So be mindful of the same.

Heat 2tsp of ghee in a pan .

Saute the chopped cashews and raisins . Garnish the payasam with it.