Paal Payasam Recipe! It is a perfectly rich and creamy sweet dish with irresistible flavor! This South Indian sweet dish is prepared during festivals and special occasions. If you translate, paal means milk and payasam term is used for a pudding-like milk-based dessert.
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❤️Why I Love This Recipe
- It takes only 30 minutes (from start to finish).
- You’ll need only 5 ingredients still the end product too divine.
- This is the Instant version of paal payasam. Much quicker to prepare compared to the authentic method (slowly simmering milk-rice till rice is cooked).
- It is made in the pressure cooker on the stovetop. You can use electric PC like instant pot (Instructions given in the recipe card below)
🧾Ingredients
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make paal payasam. The basic, easy to available 5 ingredients only (milk, sugar, rice, ghee, cashews).
Ingredient Notes
Rice: Different region of South India has its own version. E.g. In Kerala, they use matta rice (red broken rice), some part uses sona masoori rice. Even some use basmati rice. Here I have used sona masoori rice.
Milk: Please use full-fat whole milk to get a nice creamy texture. Low-fat or fat-free milk does not give creamy, rich, thick texture.
Ghee: It adds a nice flavor to the payasam. There are no other flavoring ingredients (e.g. saffron, cardamom) are used as many other Indian sweets. So the addition of ghee lends nice aromatic flavor to the sweet.
🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
1) Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker on medium heat. Once hot add cashews and fry till golden brown.
2) Drain excess ghee and remove it to a bowl and keep it aside.
3) In the remaining ghee, add rice. Fry with stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes only. You’ll notice a slight color change.
4) Now add 1 cup of milk and mix.
5) Cover the cooker with lid, put the weight on and cook on medium for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid. Check the rice, it should be soft and cooked.
6) Now add remaining milk and turn the heat back on medium. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes or until the mixture thickens and rice becomes softer. You can mash some rice with the back of the spatula to help it thicken more.
7) Now add sugar and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
8) How do you know payasam is ready? Take a ladleful of payasam mixture and pour it back into the cooker, rice & milk should flow together. That means it has the right consistency. While pouring back, milk and rice stay separated meaning it needs more simmer to thicken. At the time of serving, garnish with fried cashews.
FAQs
Kheer is the north Indian dessert very similar to the payasam. There are few differences in a cooking method like no need to roast the rice in kheer. No ghee required in making kheer. Plus, few flavoring ingredients are added like cardamom and saffron vs payasam is plain.
After roasting rice, add all the milk at once, also add sugar. Close the instant pot with lid, keep the vent to sealing. And cook on PORRIDGE mode for 20 minutes. Let it NPR.
Check Out Other Similar Desserts
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📋 Recipe Card
Paal Payasam
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Ghee (Clarified butter)
- 5-6 Cashew nuts
- ¼ cup Short grain rice (I have used sona masoori rice)
- 1 cup + 2 cups Milk
- ¼ cup Sugar
Instructions
- Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker on medium heat. Once hot add cashews and fry till golden brown.
- Drain excess ghee and remove it to a bowl and keep it aside.
- In the remaining ghee, add rice. Fry with stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes only. You’ll notice a slight color change.
- Now add 1 cup of milk and mix.
- Cover the cooker with lid, put the weight on and cook on medium for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure go down by itself then open the lid. Check the rice, it should be soft and cooked.
- Now add remaining milk and turn the heat back on medium. Simmer for another 10-12 minutes or until the mixture thickens and rice becomes more softer. You can mash some rice with the back of the spatula to help it thicken more.
- Now add sugar and simmer for 3-4 minutes. It is ready. As it cools it will thicken more.
Notes
Take a ladleful of payasam mixture and pour it back into the cooker, rice & milk should flow together. That means it has the right consistency. While pouring back, milk and rice stay separated meaning it needs more simmer to thicken. At the time of serving, garnish with fried cashews. How to make in Instant pot? After roasting rice, add all the milk at once, also add sugar. Close the instant pot with lid, keep the vent to sealing. And cook on PORRIDGE mode for 20 minutes. Let it NPR.
Praveen
Just wanted to drop in and say that your recipe has been copied word for word by https://zelish.in/recipes/paal-payasam-recipe/
Kanan Patel
Thank you Praveen for bringing to my attention, I will take the necessary actions.