Name: Paal Payasam or Easy Milk and Rice Indian Pudding with Bay Leaf Twist recipe by Antara Navin at BetterButter
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1/4 cup red matta rice; 1.75 cup water to cook matta rice; 3 Cups Milk; 1 tbsp condensed milk ( optional); 6 heaped tbsp sugar( adjust as per your taste); 1 small bay leaf(dried or fresh); 1 tbsp sliced cashews and dry coconut; 2 tsp ghee

ABOUT Paal Payasam or Easy Milk and Rice Indian Pudding with Bay Leaf Twist RECIPE

Ari Paal Payasam is a traditional dessert recipe for an Onam Sadhya in Kerala, where it is served and relished from the flat banana leaf instead of cups. It is made with raw red rice or matta raw rice (broken) which is cooked in milk and sugar. I have given this simple delicious rice pudding a small twist by adding dried bay leaf. Bay leaf has a sweet, spicy scent, reminiscent of nutmeg which when simmered along with milk and rice, gives the rice a slightly woodsy, herbal fragrance. Finally, I like to garnish my milk and rice pudding with the nuts warmed in ghee as they give a very nice taste to the Ari Paal Payasam but this is optional, as traditionally Paal Payasam is not served with any fragrance or garnish and is flavored by the creamy milk and rice pudding only.

Ingredients Serving: 2

1/4 cup red matta rice
1.75 cup water to cook matta rice
3 Cups Milk
1 tbsp condensed milk ( optional)
6 heaped tbsp sugar( adjust as per your taste)
1 small bay leaf(dried or fresh)
1 tbsp sliced cashews and dry coconut
2 tsp ghee

Instructions

Coarsely grind the matta rice in a mixer. Wash and clean it 2-3 times with water, using a strainer to prevent the broken rice to drain out along with water.
Pressure cook the broken rice with 7/4 cups of water on medium heat till 2 whistles. Lower the heat and cook it further for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker cool down.
Add the boiled broken rice into a heavy bottomed pan. Add milk and bring it to a boil on medium heat. Add the bay leaf . Lower the heat and cook stirring frequently until the rice is cooked soft and the milk thickens.
As the milk thickens, add the sugar,condensed milk (if using ) and the cardamom powder. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until sugar is completely blended with the milk.
Remove Ari Paal Payasam from the heat and discard the bay leaf.Transfer Ari Paal Payasam into a serving bowl.
Heat a small pan, add 2 teaspoons of ghee and saute the cashews and slices of dry coconut on low flame, till it turns light brown or golden in color. Add this as garnish to the Ari Paal Payasam.
Serve the Ari Paal Payasam warm or cold.

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