Elegant Desserts For Perfect Indulgence!

Dear Chitra madam,

Today I tried out your caramel payasam recipe and it came out great.

I was planning to make ada pradhaman, but could not find ada and had to make a dessert for our guests. I went through your recipe and thought that it sounded great. My husband was very impressed and told me that it tasted like the Palpayasam you get at Ambalapuzha Krishna temple.

As you may well be aware, for a payasam to taste like that from Ambalapuzha temple means that it cannot get any better for us malayalis...Thanks for such a wonderful and easy recipe..

Devi

Dear Devi,
Coming from a Kerala background, I know I cannot get a better compliment than a comparison on par with Ambalappuza payasam, which is ultimate in taste for Keralites ! You have caramelised to the exact consistency & hence the perfect flavour.
Thankyou for the feedback.
Love,
Chithra.

There are many methods for preparing this.

I am giving a method where milk is used.

Khus khus - 2 tbsp

Coconut - ½ cup

Sugar - ¾ cup ( or to taste)

Milk - 2 cups

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Saffron - ¼ tsp (warm &powder)

Lightly roast khus khus. ( this step is optional).

Soak for 1 hour & grind fine with coconut.

Mix some water & cook it to a paste on a kadai till raw taste goes.

In another stove mix 1 cup water with sugar & heat to dissolve.

Add that to the khus khus coconut mixture.

Mix & cook for a few mts.

Add cardamom powder, saffron & remove.

Add boiled milk & stir thoroughly.

Variations:

You can add some cashews when grinding to get a rich taste.

You can soak 2 tsp rice with khus khus & grind to get a thick payasam.

You can add jaggery instead of sugar.

Instead of grinding coconut, extract milk & use that instead of milk.

This is a simple recipe & you can serve topped with nuts..

Milk - ½ litre

Custard powder - 3 level tbsp

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Instant coffee powder - 3 tsp

Condensed milk or fresh cream - 2 tbsp ( optional – gives a rich taste)

Butter - 25 gms or 2 tbsp

Mix custard powder & coffee powder thoroughly with ½ cup milk & keep ready.

Put to boil the remaining milk.

When it starts boiling, add the mixture.

Cook, stirring continuously, till it is smooth.

Simmer, add sugar & butter.

Remove, mixing in cream thoroughly.

Cool & set in the refrigerator.

You can also make this, substituting 4 tsp cocoa instead of instant coffee powder.

Milk - ½ litre

Bread slices - 2 ( edges trimmed)

Cashewnuts - 7,8

Sugar - ½ cup

Cardamom powder - ¼ tsp

Nutmeg powder - ¼ tsp

Powder cashewnuts with bread slices in a mixi.

Boil milk & add this powder, stirring well till it thickens.

Add sugar, spices & remove.

Chill & decorate with dry fruits or nuts.

Yellow ripe pumpkin is best suited. It is shown in the photo posted below.

Peel & chop the vegetable into small cubes.

Cubed vegetable - 1 cup

Cashews - 8 – 10

Milk - ½ litre

Sugar - ½ cup

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Nutmeg powder - ½ tsp ( optional)

Chopped nuts or saffron threads - to garnish

Steam the vegetable till soft.

Grind that with cashews, adding minimum water.

Put the milk to boil.

When it starts boiling, decrease the flame , add the paste & cook on a low flame.

Do not allow vigorous boilng.

When the mixture thickens, add sugar & simmer to dissolve.

Add spices & remove.

Chill & serve.

Milk - ½ litre + 1/2 litre

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Cocoa powder - 4 tsp

Instant China grass - 100 gms ( chocolate or vanilla flavour )

Corn flour - 3 tbsp

Cream - ½ cup

Vanilla essence

Walnuts - to decorate

Mix China grass with 1/2 litre milk, mixing well.

Put it boil & immediately remove.

Cool it, stirring continuously.

Now get the cornflour - cocoa mixture ready with the other 1/2 litre milk.

Mix ½ cup cold milk with cornflour & cocoa powder & keep ready.

Put the rest of the milk to boil.

When the milk is about to boil , add cornflour - cocoa mixture.

Simmer & cook to boil on a low flame, adding sugar.

Remove, add essence & cool thoroughly.

Mix this with China grass mixture, blending thoroughly.

When completely cold, beat in the cream, top with nuts & chill in the refrigerator.

Dried apricots ( called khubani) - 250 gms

Sugar - 3 tbsp

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp ( optional)

Cream - ½ cup for decoration

Custard:

Milk - 1/2 litre

Cream - ½ cup

Sugar - 3-4 tbsp

Vanilla flavoured custard powder - 1 tbsp

Wash & soak apricots in water enough to immerse them, overnight.

They become soft & swollen.

Simmer in the same water till they are tender & about to break.

Mash them with the back of a spoon, lifting stones out.

Crack to remove nuts & skin nuts by dropping them in boiling water for a mte.

Add sugar to well mashed apricots, cook till thick, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Remove & cool well.

Mix in essence, lemon juice & nuts reserving a few for decorartion.

Pour cooled apricot in a bowl & set this aside.

Heat milk & sugar for custard, reserving little cold milk to make custard.

Make a smooth paste of the custard powder using the cold milk.

Pour this into the hot milk & cook, stirring constantly till custard is formed.

Cool slightly & stir in cream to make it extra rich.

When completely cold, pour custard on apricot layer, smoothen & decorate with cream & reserved nuts.

This is an information from the internet:
Consumption of apricot kernels must be restricted to two per person, per day.

This payasam is usually made in Tamil Nadu as an offering on festival days.

This is made for weddings also – poha & wheat rawa are optional.

Rice ( preferably thin variety) - ¼ cup

Gram dhal - ¼ cup

Moong dhal - ¼ cup

Aval ( poha) - ¼ cup

Wheat rawa - ¼ cup

Jaggery - 2 ½ cups

Milk - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Cashew chopped - 2 tbsp

Raisins - 2 tbsp

Ghee - 4 tsp

Roast dry the first 5 ingredients, individually in a dry kadai.

Mix , wash & add with 4 cups of water in a pressure pan.

Cook for 2 whistles.

Cool & open,.

Meanwhile mix jaggery with ½ cup of water in a vessel & heat to dissolve on a low fire.

Boil for 5 mts.

Strain & add to the pressurepan contents.

Booil well for 5 mts, add cardamom powder & remove.

Add milk, after removing from fire & stir continuously for a few mts.

Heat ghee, roast cashews & raisins & add to payasam.

Poha & wheat rawa can be omitted & the payasam can be made with rice & dhals only.

Adjust the amount of water & jaggery suitably.

Milk - 2 cups

Custard powder - 3 tbsp

Cream - 1 cup

Sugar - ½ cup

Jelly crystals (Raspberry) - 1 packet

Walnuts, chopped - 2 tbsp

Apples - 2

Mix custard powder wih ½ cup milk & sugar till smooth.

Put the rest of the milk to boil.

Add the custard mixture & cook, stirring continuously, till the mixture is thick.

Add jelly to the custard while it is still hot or the jelly crystals will not dissolve.

Stir well till jelly crystals dissolve completely.

Chop apples & walnuts.

Beat cream till thick….

Fold all these into the cold custard.

Pour into wet jelly mould or individual cups.

Chill in the fridge till well set.

Some more combinations:

Green colur jelly + bananas + pista to decorate

Orange colour jelly + oranges + walnuts to decorate

Yellow colour jelly + pineapple + cherries to decorate

Strawberry jelly + fresh strawberries to decorate