CHENNAI: No Onam celebration is complete without that quintessential dose of heady sweetness. Just before folding the banana leaf after a sumptuous sadhya, it’s a ritual to ladle out servings of payasam. A simple swipe and a satisfying slurp — that’s the moment when ‘Happy Onam’ really kicks in.
Ney Payasam
Ingredients
Matta raw rice: 1 cup
Coconut milk(optional): 1/2 cup
Grated jaggery: 1 cup
Cardamom powder: 1/2 tbsp
Ghee: 3-4 tbsp
Dry fruits as per choice
Finely chopped coconut
Method
Add 1.5 cup water and pressure cook rice for 3 to 4 whistles. After the cooker is depressurised, mash the rice gently. Take a pan to prepare the jaggery syrup. Add water and brown jaggery into the pan and cook till it melts. To this add the cooked rice and mix well for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of ghee and cardamom powder. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes. Turn off the gas and add coconut milk,(optional). Heat a pan, add ghee and roast dry fruits and chopped coconuts. Add this to the rice mixture, mix it well and it’s ready to serve. Garnish with some banana slices.
Avil Payasam
Recipe by executive chef Mohammed Shaji
Ingredients
Avil: 300 g
Milk: 1.5 L
Saffron: 1 g
Ghee: 250 g
Raisins: 20 g
Cashew: 50 g
Cardamom powder: 10 g
Method
Heat the pan on a medium-low flame and add 100 grams of ghee. When the ghee melts, add the cashews and raisins and fry them until golden. Remove it and keep it aside. In the same pan, once the ghee has melted, add avil, stir, and mix the avil well in the ghee. Roast till the avil changes its colour to a light golden colour. Then add the milk and saffron. Keep the heat on low and bring the mix to a boil for 3 minutes. Then add the sugar and cardamom powder and mix very well so that the sugar dissolves. Continue to simmer the avil payasam for 3 to 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Add the roasted cashews and raisins to the payasam. Serve hot.
Tender Coconut Carrot Payasam
Recipe by chef Arun Vijayan
Ingredients
Cow milk : 1 L, Water: 1 L
Shredded carrot(small size) : 100 g
Sugar: 200 g
Tender coconut water: 500 ml
Tender coconut flesh
(sliced): 300 g
Ghee : 80 ml
Fried cashew nuts: 20 g
Fried raisins: a few grams
Cardamom powder: 2 g
For garnish
Sliced almonds, Mint leaves
Chethi poovu
Method
On low heat, boil the milk with water for 30 minutes. Once the milk gets thick and when there is a colour change, add the tender coconut water, sugar, carrot and tender coconut flesh. Again cook for 5 to 10 minutes in slow heat. Turn off the flame and finish with cardamom powder, fried raisins and cashew nuts. Garnish and serve in room temperature.
Beetroot-banana blossom payasam
Ingredients
Beetroot (chopped): 200 g
Banana blossom (Chopped): 500 g
Sugar: 300 g
Cow milk : 2 L
Fried cashew nuts: 15 g
Fried raisins: 15 g
Cardamom powder: 2 g
Ghee : 80 ml
Method
Soak the chopped banana blossoms in water for half an hour. After that, squeeze the water out of it and keep it aside. Heat ghee in a uruli and saute the chopped beetroot in it for 2 minutes. Add banana blossoms and sugar and then cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add milk and mix well. Cook the payasam on low flame for 30 minutes. Once the milk starts to thicken, turn off the flame and finish with fried cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix well and garnish with finely chopped beetroot.
Sugar Free
Semiya payasam
Recipe by Zeugar Sugar-free
Ingredients (for 3 glasses)
Milk: 500 ml
Vermicelli: 100 g, Ghee: 15 g
Zeugar Sugar free Cooking
Syrup: 75 g
Cashew: 10 g
Cardamom: A pinch for taste
Method
Roast the vermicelli in ghee till it turns brown. Add milk and sugar-free syrup to the same vessel and boil for 8-10 minutes till it reaches payasam consistency. Add the cashews (roasting it is optional) and cardamom. Serve hot and enjoy the delicious vermicelli payasam, without any added sugars.