Classic Kerala recipe to making Ari Payasam or rice pudding

Ari payasam or rice pudding from Kerala uses the combined goodness of rice, jaggery and coconut milk. Often made as dessert after a traditional meal, this dish calls for a celebration of sorts. Here's a quick and simple recipe to making it at home:

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

4 cup coconut, grated 

350 gms of jaggery

250 gms of raw rice with bran

20 cashew nuts

2 tbsp of raisins

2 tbsp coconut, sliced into thin pieces

2 tbsp of ghee or clarified butter

5 to 6 cardamoms, powdered

A pinch of salt

Method:

Step 1: Wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Strain and keep the rice aside.

Step 2: Making coconut milk...

Note: I made three extracts of coconut milk for this payasam – first extract, second extract and third extract.

a) For the first extract, add grated coconut into a blender and add one cup of lukewarm water. Blend for 10 to 15 seconds, and pour the mix into a strainer or onto a muslin cloth with a bowl underneath, and squeeze to get the thick first extract milk or onnam pal or thani paal in Malayalam.

b) For the second extract, repeat the process with two cups of water and keep the extract in another bowl. This semi-diluted milk is called randam paal.

c) For the third extract, repeat the same process with three cups of water. Blend it, strain it and keep it in another bowl. This diluted milk is called moonam paal.

Step 3: In a pressure cooker, add the drained raw rice and the third extract of coconut milk (moonam paal) and one tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter. Cook until the rice is soft, but not mushy.

Step 4: In the meantime, add one cup of water into a pan. Add jaggery and let it melt over medium to low flame. Crush the jaggery to speed the process. Strain the jaggery syrup using a strainer; keep aside.

Step 5: To garnish, heat a tablespoon of ghee or clarified butter in a non-stick pan. Shallow fry the cashew nuts and remove until it turns lightly brown; keep aside. Using the same pan, fry the raisins, remove and keep aside. Finally, fry the chopped coconut in the same ghee until brown. Remove and keep aside. Do not fry them together.

Step 6: Transfer the cooked rice from the pressure cooker to a thick-bottomed pan and add melted jaggery and cook for about 5 minutes.

Step 7: After five minutes of cooking, pour the second extract of coconut milk to the rice-jaggery mix and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes on a medium flame.

Step 8: Add the cardamom powder and a pinch of salt into the rice-jaggery mix and stir until thick in consistency.

Step 9: Bring the flame to a simmer and then add the first extract of coconut milk and mix well. Turn the flame off immediately. Do not boil the mix.

Step 10: Finally, add the fried garnish and stir softly. Drizzle any remaining ghee over the payasam. Serve hot and enjoy!

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