Rice and Milk Kheer/Pal Payasam

Our festivals are incomplete without we making something special. The most laborious work of all is making delicious kheer or Payasam.

It was my mother's birthday and Vishu (A harvest festival)

I have promised Aru that I will make her favourite Payasam. 

Here we go the simple, quick and delicious Payasam recipe which I have made yesterday. 

Rice kheer 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup basmathi rice ( I have used a very small cup)

1 cup water

1/2 liter milk

1/4 tsp crushed green cardamom

1 tin milkmaid 

Method 

*Wash, and keep aside basmathi rice for about 20 minutes.

*In a pressure cooker, add rice, 1 cup water and half a litre milk, close lid, allow it to cook for 3 whistles. Remember we are not adding sugar or any other things at this stage.

*Once it reach room temperature, open the lid, check whether the rice is soft and well cooked, you can slightly smash it, or run a hand blender for few seconds. 

* Crush 4 to 5 green cardamom, use the peel in your tea, we are taking out the small fragrant cardamon, add the crushed cardamom to the kheer.

*Open the milkmaid tin and pour in the content to the kheer. Mix in well, a little more warm water if needed to remove any leftover residue from the tin. Gentle use a spatula to mix all the ingredients.

*Keep the cooker back to the stove, we will further cook the kheer for 2 minutes. Off the stove.

*The Payasam will have a mild pinkish colour. 

* Serve it warm or chill it in refrigerator and serve cold, both ways its delicious.

Notes

We generally don't add cashew nuts or ghee to milk kheer/Pal Payasam.

*You can use red broken rice instead of basmathi, but it will take more time to cook.

Gajjar Halwa

Gajjar Halwa

Today I am going to share with all of you readers my recipe for Gajjar Halwa.

 It is an India sweet savoured by all. It is mainly prepared in the Winter season, when Delhi carrots (red, long, thin) are available. 

 I hope you can make a very good halwa using this recipe. 


Gajjar Halwa

Ingredients:

2 kg Carrots 
1 litre Milk 
400 grams Sugar 
3 crushed Cardamom 
10 nos. Cashew nut  (broken into halves)
100 gram Ghee 

Method 

*Wash, peel and grate carrot. 

*In a thick bottom vessel ( I used pressure pan) pour milk and add the grated carrot. 

*Allow it to cook at a low flame for about 45 minutes.

* Stir it gently. You will see the milk reducing to 1/4 of the amount it was before. 

*Now add the sugar and the cardamom. Allow it to cook further for about 30 minutes. 

*Stir the halwa and simultaneously add a spoonful of ghee.

*By now you will notice that the ghee is separating  from the halwa in the vessel.

 

*Remove it from stove. In a small pan add a spoonful of ghee and the broken cashew nuts and allow it to roast till it turns golden brown. 

*Add the cashew nuts to the halwa and serve hot. 

*The aroma of the fresh ghee and the luscious halwa makes it a tempting dessert.