 Tips for Payasams & Kheers
Tips for Payasams & kheers:
I plan to give recipes for some easy payasams & kheers next , which will double up as desserts as well . The general scare to prepare payasam is fear of it getting curdled. If you follow the following points , payasam making will be fool-proof. So I shall give some tips first:
1. A few combinations in payasams are made with milk , coconut milk , sugar & jaggery.
2. The Kerala pradhamans , pineapple payasam are all made with coconut milk & jaggery . The boiled ingredients are cooked with thin coconut milk & (boiled & strained ) jaggery water first , well & thick coconut milk added on a low fire & the fire switched off . The payasam is then stirred well for the thick milk to blend well. Never allow boiling on fire ( for any dish ) after the first or thick coconut milk is added. Always dissolve jaggery in very little water on a low fire , stirring continuously to prevent burning of jaggery & strain the liquid.
3. For payasams made with milk & sugar (like caramel payasam , semiya payasam , pal payasam etc ) , add the sugar last & do not allow boiling after sugar is added . Just simmer on a low fire for 2- 3 mts & remove. Thereafter stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.
4. For payasam made with milk & jaggery , finish the entire cooking with dhal or rice or whatever & after removing from the stove only , milk has to added & thorough stirring is necessary to prevent “ breaking of milk “
5. For some payasams like ( kerala Para annam ) – the entire cooking is done with milk & rice on fire – for these , on removing from fire , jaggery syrup ( after boiling well , separately ) is added & thoroughly mixed.
6. Cardamom powder , nutmeg powder , saffron ( warmed & powdered ) , edible camphor etc are added a few mts before removing from the fire , preferably mixed in 1 tsp of hot ghee to get the best flavour.
7. Dry ginger powder is added in Kerala pradhamans for an interesting variation in flavour.
8. Cashews broken & raisins fried in ghee can be added after removing from fire . For Kerala Pradhamans , finely cut coconut pieces fried in ghee are added.
9. For kheers , phirni etc a mixture of chopped nuts can be added without frying in ghee.
Last edited by Induslady; 14th April 2006 at 11:58 AM.
Reason: Edited for the bullet point numbering
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