Healthy Indian Kheer Smoothie - Vegan Chia and Apple Breakfast Smoothie

Indian Kheer or Payasam is a creamy pudding prepared usually with rice or vermicelli and thick milk. (Milk simmered for a hour or so). It is obviously loaded with calories and sugar. This is my effort to recreate the goodness of that without any sugar and full of healthy ingredients. A couple of things I wanted to add to this was raisins and almond flakes. That would totally complete the pudding. Call it Indian Kheer Smoothie or Chia and Apple Pudding or Chia Breakfast Smoothie. It fits all the bills.

Pasi Paruppu Payasam - Parippu Pradaman - Moong Dal Kheer

Pasi Paruppu Payasam or Parippu Pradaman is a very easy payasam to make. Just takes 5-10 minutes of your time and rest is all cooking time. How easy can it get?

I made this for Tamil New Year. This was a fairly thick payasam. Next time, I may try adding more coconut milk/milk to it to loosen it up..

Ingredients

Moong Dal 1 cup
Jaggery 1 cup (My jaggery is not very sweet. So I needed this much. You might want to start off with 1/2 cup)
Coconut Milk 1 can (about 2 cups)
Cardamom 1/2 tsp
Ghee 1 tbsp - use oil for vegan version
Cashews few
Raisins few



Method of Preparation

1. Pressure cook the Moong dal till it is well mushed up.

2. Add jaggery to a pan. Add a little water. When the jaggery melts, filter out any impurities. Keep ready.

3. In a pan, add the ghee. Add cashews. Fry till it browns a little. Keep aside.

4. In the same pan, add the raisins. Fry till it fluffs up a little. Keep aside.

5. Add the cooked Moong dal to the pan. 

6. Add Jaggery Syrup and cardamom powder. Mix well. 

7. Now add the coconut milk and mix. Keep gas in simmer after the coconut milk is added. 

8. When it starts to thicken, add the cashews and raisins. 

Serve warm

Pongala Pasayam - Sarkara Payasam - Attukal Pongala Special

Attukal Bhagavathi is a goddess worshiped in my home town Trivandrum. Every year millions of women offer pongala (prayer offering) to attuakal amma (mother). People arrive from all parts of the state and even from other states. They set up hearths with bricks and they make payasam (similar to chakkara pongal) and therali appam.



Around 7km radius of the temple women sit in lines with their hearths. The priest at the temple lights the fire in the temple hearth and the fire is transferred from one hearth to the next.

Women prepraring Payasam and Therali in a brick hearth on the streets of Trivandrum (Photo by Santosh)



Earthen Pots and Pans being sold in the market (Photo by Santosh)



Around 3.5 million women offer pongala to Attukal Amma. The priest lit the temple hearth at around 10:15. At around 2:30, priests from the temple (around 250 odd) sprinkle the holy water on all the preparations and the offering to goddess is complete.

It is the largest women's gathering in the world and has made it to the guinness records. If you are in Trivandrum, please do visit the temple.

Attukal Bhagavathy Temple - Trivandrum, Kerala

I am presenting to you the recipe of Pongala Payasam that is made as an offering for the Bhagavathi. The recipe is pretty simple. Though quite similar to Chakkara Pongal prepared by Tamilians on Pongal day, this payasam has a unique taste cause of the added coconut and the no milk factor.

Thanks to Shoba Chechi and Aswathy for the recipe... Thanks to Santosh for the photos of the festival...



Another neivedhyam (offering) is Therali Appam.  I have posted the recipe for that before. Do check that here.



Ingredients

Rice 1 cup
Water 7 cups
Jaggery 2 cups
Coconut 1 cup
Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
Cashews few
Raisins few
Ghee 2 tbsp

 




Method of Preparation

1. Bring 7 cups of water to boil.

2. Add rice to it and cook till it is well done. The water will be almost absorbed now. Check with the spatula to make sure cause once the jaggery is added the rice will not cook anymore.

3. Add the jaggery (powdered) and mix. It will melt and liquefy the payasam. Simmer for a few minutes.

4. Add coconut and cardamom powder along with 1 tbsp of ghee. Mix well and cook for another 3-4 minutes. The payasam will start to solidify now.

5. In the end, heat ghee in a small pan and add cashews. When they brown, keep aside. In the same pan, add the raisins and roast. Add the cashews and raisins along with the ghee to the payasam

Enjoy! Some ppl like to add some sliced bananas to this while eating.

Pineapple Payasam - Pineapple Kheer - Pineapple Pudding

Pineapple is one fruit I love when it sweet and hate when it is sour. And after many bad experiences I almost stopped buying them. My son loves it and I keeps asking for it at all weird times. So I now always have a stock of canned pineapple chunks. I know it is not the same, but it satisfies his craving and I am happy that he has eaten some fruits.

This week for AGC, Jayanthi gave me a secret ingredient of Pineapple and milk. I wanted to make a pudding of sorts with custard. But as with most months, I end up with a simple dish for the week the secret ingredient is given and make a more elaborate one some other week. I guess need more effort planning :-)

I was quite impressed by the result this simple payasam had. It took the simple semiya payasam to a whole new level. Never thought they (pineapple and milk) will go so well.



Ingredients

Semiya/Vermicelli 1/2 cup
Milk 3 cups
Water 1 cup
Condensed Milk 1 can (400gm)
Ghee 1 tbsp
Pineapple chunks finely chopped (1 can)
Pineapple juice from the can 1/2 cup
Saffron a few stands
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Cardamom powder 1/8 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Heat a pan and add the ghee.

2. Add the semiya and roast till it browns a little.

3. Add 1 cup of water. Simmer till the semiya is almost cooked.

4. Add the 3 cups of milk. Bring it to a boil. Simmer for a little while.

5. Add the condensed milk, saffron and cardamom powder. Mix well and simmer till it is a nice thick consistency.

6. Let this milk mix cool well.

7. Chop the pineapple into small bits. Add this to the cooled milk along with the juice and vanilla essence.

8. Mix well and Refrigerate.

Serve with Love!

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Veena, Priya S

Barley Pradaman

When I told my husband I am making Barley Pradaman, his first remark was - ungal imaginationukku ellaye illaya? (meaning is there no limit to your imagination). I am glad I am like that. As I told you before, pradaman is basically payasam (kheer) made with jaggery and coconut milk. It is made with a variety of ingredients and I really loved this version with barley.

AGC Week 2 this month is Sweets. This is my entry to the event.



Ingredients

Pearl Barley 1/2 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Coconut milk 2 cups
Cardamom 1/4 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Soak barley overnight. Pressure cook with 1.5 cups of water for 3 whistles.

2. In a pan add the jaggery along with 1/4 cup water (i just added the water from the cooked barley). Let it melt.

3. Add the barley and simmer for a few minutes.

4. Add coconut milk and cardamom. Mix well and cook in low flame for 5 minutes.

You can serve this immediately warm. I liked it best the next day after I kept it in the fridge. It had an awesome creamy texture and the barley had absorbed some of the sweetness as well.



This is off to my event Cooking with Seeds - Barley, event by Priya

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Veena, Priya S

Ada Pradaman - 250th post

My blogging journey has brought me to yet another milestone - my 250th post. I am also looking forward to the approach of my first anniversary. Special thanks to everyone who has encouraged me - husband and little one for enjoying my meals, my friends - blogging ones and the others for the feedback.

Remember - i always love to hear from you if you try one of my posts. If something did not come out well (hopefully not many), I would love to hear about that so I can work on my negatives. Click photos and add to my FB page. Oh while we are at it, please do like the page to see posts in your wall. Love you all.



In this post I present to you my favourite payasam - Ada Pradaman. Pradaman is a term used to describe payasam made of jaggery and coconut milk. Note that unlike normal payasams, sugar and milk are not the base ingredients. I made this as part of my Onam Sadya



Pradamans can be made with a variety of ingredients - Parippu Pradaman (channa dal, moong dal), Chakka Pradaman (jackfruit), Nedram Pazha Pradaman (Banana), Gothumbu Pradaman (Wheat), Ada Pradaman (Rice chip pasta) etc.

Ada is basically small chips made of rice flour. Traditionally it is made by making a paste of rice flour, smearing on plantain leaf and then either steaming it or by adding to boiling water. I have not perfected making it yet. So will post one day when I get it right. I used store bought ones this time.

Ada can be used to make Pradaman or Pal payasam. Usually small square chip ones are used for making pal payasam and long ones for pradaman. I really like the long ones and use that for both. Check out the pal ada payasam recipe in my blog. You can use a pasta as a substitute.



Ingredients

Ada - 1.5 cup (approx) (use pasta as substitute).
Jaggery 1 cup
Coconut milk 1 can (about 1.5 cups)
Cardamom 1/2 tsp
Cashew few
Raisins few
Coconut pieces 1 tbsp
Ghee (clarified butter) 1 tbsp (or use oil for Vegan)

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the ada in about 3 cups of water. It will take about 10-12 minutes. This depends on the ada. Follow packet instruction. You can make your own ada as well.

2. Once the ada is cooked, if there a lot water drain some. Mine did not. So I just kept the water.

3. In a separate pan, add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water. Melt and remove impurities if any.

4. Add jaggery to the ada along with cardamom powder. Remember that Jaggery will stop ada from cooking further. So make sure it is cooked before you add jaggery. This is true for all Pradamans.

5. Add coconut milk. Simmer the gas. If you keep in high it will curdle. I used store bought coconut milk. You can make your own milk. If you do, add the second (watery) milk first and once it is almost ready, add the first (thick) milk.

6. Once it gets heated up, switch off. Please note that pradaman will thicken with time. So make it a little watery if you are not serving for some time.

7. In a small pan, heat ghee. Add the coconut pieces. When it is slightly browned, take out and keep aside. Add cashews and fry till it is browned. Remove and add raisins. Add all of this to the payasam.



Linking this to Onam Special @ Sharan's Samayalarai

Palada Payasam

Ada is one of my favourite ingredients to make payasam. Ada is prepared from scratch by making a paste of rice flour, smearing on banana leaf and then steaming. I am not doing it this time, just using store bought ada. There are two variations of this payasam - Palada Payasam (Made with Sugar and Milk) and Ada Pradaman (Made with Jaggery and Coconut Milk)

Today I present to you the recipe of Palada Payasam.



This year as Onam is on 29th (a wednesday), I decided to make just payasam and a simple lunch today and then a feast on the weekend.. Stay tuned for the Onam Sadya!!

Ingredients (Makes 3 cups)

Dried Ada About 1 cup
Milk 2 cups
Condensed Milk 1/2 cup
Cardamom 1/2 tsp
Saffron a few strands

Method of Preparation

1. First step is to cook the ada. Boil water (about 3-4 cups) and add the ada to boiling water. Cook till it is soft and you are able to cut with a spoon. Keep stirring as the ada will stick to the bottom. It took me about 10 minutes. Drain. Wash in cold water and keep ready.

2. In the meanwhile, in a thick bottomed pan heat milk. Bring it to a boil. Ideally, you should boil till it reduced to half and then add sugar. I am not that patient. So I just used some condensed milk to give it a nice thickness and colour.

3. Add the condensed milk and saffron. Let it simmer for a few more minutes.

4. Add cooked ada and cardamom powder. Stir and simmer for a few minutes.

Palada is ready to be served.

Wishing all the readers of my blog a Very Happy Onam.



Linking this to Show me your hits - Rice - Event by Sangee, hosted by Vardhini
Linking this to Onam Special @ Sharan's Samayalarai

Badam Semiya Payasam

I made Semiya Payasam - Vermicelli Kheer for Vishu lunch. I wanted to make a variation from the usual one and made the badam payasam. But don't get deterred by the name thinking there are a lot of extra steps. I just added some MTR Badam Powder to the payasam. Yes, yes I know. Have been using this a lot lately. Its kind of my new love. I wish it did not have so much sugar in it. Can people not add their own sugar? What is the deal with them adding all the sugar for you.. Anyways, it did add a nice flavour to the payasam. I just reduced the amount of sugar I added.





Krishna - Krishna being the favourite god in Kerala, it is quite normal for people to make the vishu kani in front of his idol. My son loves listening to Krishna Story. The birth of Krishna being his favourite (That's the first we told him, i guess that's why). Whenever he feels like eating some butter, he will tell us - I want to eat butter just like Krishna. Don't day no :-)




Palakka Malai - Palakka is a piece of jewellery closely associated with Kerala. Look at the beauty... Traditional colour is green. But they do come in blue, red and purple. They also have matching earrings to go with them.



Now off to the recipe.

Ingredients

Semiya 1 cup
Milk 7-8 cup
MTR Badam Powder 8tbsp
Nuts few
Raisins few
Ghee to roast the nuts and raisins.
Sugar 1 little less than 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the ghee in a pan. Add the cashews. Roast them and keep aside.

2. In the same pan, add the raisins. Roast them and keep aside.

3. Add the semiya/vermicelli and roast for a little bit.

4. Add a cup of water and allow the semiya to cook.

5. Once cooked add the rest of the milk, badam powder and sugar.

6. Bring it to a boil and switch off. Garnish with the nuts and raisins.




Linking this to Kerala Kitchen Event hosted by Ramya

Linking this to WTML - Festive Recipes hosted by Rasi

Pal Payasam

Growing up I was a big fan of Semiya payasam. Did not care much for pal payasam. Though my mom used to make tons of different payasams for different occations, she always made me my favourite - semiya for my birthday. Oh I miss my mom :-( I wish she was there with me to share this fun times.

Over the years, I have developed a love for Pal payasam. But every time I try to make it, it kind of resembles pal sadam. Not sure if you guys have eaten Pal Sadam as kids. Its nothing but, rice, milk and sugar mixed when it is all warm. So imagine how I feel when my payasam resembles pal sadam.

This time, I checked with my friend C. She mailed me the recipe. I did not have all the ingredients required. So I just worked with what I had. But it turned out good this time.




Ingredients

Rice 1/4 cup
Milk (2%) 5 cups
Condensed milk 3/4 cup
Ghee 2 tbsp
Cashews few
Raisins few
Chopped almonds few
Cardamamom Powder 1/2 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Heat a pan and add the ghee to it. Add the cashews and fry till starts to brown. Take out and keep aside.

2. Add raisins to the same ghee and fry and add to the cashews.

3. Add some chopped almonds as well to the cashews. Keep them aside to use at the end.

4. In the same ghee, add the rice and fry till it is nice and pink.

5. Add milk to it and cook while stirring till the rice cooks well. I cooked till the rice was a little hard and not too mushy.

6. Add the cardamom powder and condensed milk.

7. Switch off and Add the cashews, raisins and almonds.

Pal Payasam/Rice Kheer is ready to be served.