Celebrating my birthday with Sadya…

Yay, I am getting old, well don’t jump to the conclusion that I am really old, like I am in some 40′s. I am still enjoying my late 20′s, haven’t entered the hyped ‘thirty hood’ yet. I have heard from many who have crossed 30, that getting old is beautiful, and early 30′s is the best stage of anyone’s life. Well, I have to experience that by myself  to comment more about that. As we grow old, we often say ‘Even though I am getting old, my mind is still young’, don’t we say this just to hide ourselves from the bitter reality that we are actually getting old? Whatever it is, we have to deal with this  fact and move on with our life. If you have the will power, age doesn’t make a big difference, just live life to the fullest, that’s what matters at the end. I am happy that I am still alive and blessed to celebrate my birthday with my dear ones.

One of my good friends had asked me to blog about my favorite dish as a birthday special blog post. I must admit the toughest question I’ve ever encountered. It would be clear by now to all who reads my blog that I love all kinds of cuisine and food. But I didn’t feel like skipping this question and just giving the usual answer of ‘I love all food’. Hence, I forced myself and thought for a while and finally I got the answer.

Being born and brought up in Kerala aka God’s Own Country, a state in India, I had the opportunity to taste most of the Kerala delicacy. In Kerala, there are 14 districts, and each district has it’s own specialty dishes. Even the style of cooking, recipe, name of the same dish varied greatly from one district to another. Kerala food is rich, flavorful, aromatic, spicy and unique, the more you eat the more you fall for this cuisine. I can go on and on when talking about Kerala food. After I got married, I migrated to the US and it was here I was opened to other cuisines and explored the incredible world of cooking. When I first started cooking, I was only aware of kerala dishes and few Indo-Chinese dishes.

Even after exploring other cuisines, for me comfort food means: ‘My own Kerala food’. When thinking about kerala food, first thing that comes to my mind is Kerala Sadya. ‘Sadya’ means ‘Banquet’ in Malayalam( Official language of Kerala). Sadya is not the name of one dish, it’s a grant feast involving many vegetarian dishes, it could range from 15 to 24 or more. Sadya is often made during special occasions like Onam ( biggest festival in Kerala), marriage, birthdays, and other occasions.

Sadya is often served on Plantain or Banana leaf, which could be also called as the Organic plate. While eating sadya people mostly sit on the floor with crossed legs and it is eaten using the right hand and  fingers, the natural spoon, which greatly enhances the taste of the sadya and helps to combine all the dishes.

The dishes found in sadya are all vegetarian, some of the common dishes found in sadya are:

Main dishes: Rice, Parippu( Lentil curry), Sambar( Mixed veggie curry), Rasam( Spicy, tangy Sauce)

Side dishes: Avial( Thick veggie side dish made with yogurt), kalan( plantain dish made with yogurt and coconut), Olan( Black eyed peas curry in coconut sauce), Pachadi( made with beetroot/lady’s finger in yogurt sauce), Thoran( sauteed mixed veggie with grated coconut), Pulissery( Ripe mango , pineapple or pumpkin cooked in yogurt, a sweet dish)

Pickles: Inji puli( Ginger/Tamarind pickle), Achar( Pickles made with mango, lemon or gooseberry)

Snacks: Upperi( Fried Plantain dipped in jaggery), Plantain chips, Pappadam( crispy, crunchy Indian wafers, made from lentil, black gram etc), Banana.

Dessert: Payasam ( made with vermicelli, milk, sugar and other added flavors), mostly 3 types of payasam are served for sadya: Semiya payasam( vermicelli cooked in milk and sugar), Palada pradhaman ( thick dessert made with cooked rice) , Kadala pradhaman( made with black gram).

Oh yes, only if you make all these dishes it can be called as Sadya. With just 2 or 3 of these dishes it’s just everyday kerala food served in almost all houses.

As a birthday special blog post, I am sharing the recipes of  the dishes found in Sadya. Of course, without a question Sadya is my all time favorite food, as I get to taste almost all kinds of taste from spicy to sour to sweet in one eating:)

Ingredients found in most of the dishes in Sadya:

Coconut grated, Coconut oil, Yogurt(Curd), Vegetables like plantain, Mango, Okra or lady’s finger, Beetroot, Ash guard( found in Indian grocery stores), Green chilly, Black eyed peas.

Spices/ enhancers needed for making Sadya:

Turmeric powder, Cumin seeds, Whole Mustard seeds, Whole dry red chilly, Curry leaves( found in Indian grocery stores), Freshly grated Ginger, Fenugreek seeds, Salt.

For Seasoning:

Coconut oil, Mustard seeds, Whole Dry Red Chilly, Curry leaves, Small onions, Fenugreek seeds.

Kerala is the land of Coconut, hence coconut is the primary ingredient in most of the dishes. Also, Coconut oil is used for cooking sadya dishes, as it really enhances the taste, so make sure to cook Sadya using coconut oil.

You could find all these above ingredients added in most of the dishes, and the most amazing part is each dish has its own personality and tastes entirely different from others. Hence, Sadya could be defined as the Flavorful Veggie palette, which gives myriad of flavor to your taste buds, your taste buds will go crazy from sweetness, sourness and spiciness…

I am extremely glad to share the Sadya recipes to everyone on my special day, some of the recipes are from my mom, some from friends and others from internet. Sadya cooking method is almost the same throughout Kerala, some of the ingredients/ spices used might vary. Again, I am still in the learning stage of making Sadya in its authentic and the original taste, so please make sure to correct me if I have mentioned anything wrong. I will be glad to make the needed corrections.

While serving the dishes on the plantain leaf which has two sides, each item has its own specific place, for instance: Pickles are served on the top left on one side of the leaf, followed by other side dishes and banana is served on the bottom left corner. While, Rice along with Parippu and Sambar/Rasam and the Payasam are served on the immediate side facing from the person.

I have to say all these before writing about the recipe, because Sadya is given great importance in Kerala which is served and devoured with great pride by everyone irrespective of their taste buds.

Kerala’s traditional Kuthari Rice:

Ingredients:

• Raw Kuthari Matta rice/Rosematta Rice – 2 cups
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Water- 5-6 cups

Preparation:

• In kerala, this is the most famous rice, which is pinkish red in color and it is highly flavorful. After eating this rice, it will be hard to switch to any other rice. For me: I totally hate any other rice as I’ve been eating this rice all these years.
• Traditional cooking of this Rice: This rice is mostly cooked in huge clay pots or stainless steel pots, we get pots just for making rice.

1. The pot is filled with water and when the water starts to boil; washed, drained rice is added to the water along with salt. Close the pot with its lid and cook until the rice is soft and tender.
2. Drain the water from the rice by pouring it over a huge strainer.
3. This method consumes lot of time to cook as Kuthari rice takes long to cook.

• For easy cooking:

1. Cook in a pressure cooker. Add water, rice and salt to the pressure cooker, close it with the lid and let cook until 3- 4 whistles.
2. Excess water can be drained. Keep it warm in the cooker.

Main dishes:

Parippu or Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

• Moong dal- 1 cup
• Water- 2 1/2 cups
• Salt- to taste

For grinding:

• Freshly Coconut grated or frozen- 1 cup
• Green chillies chopped- 2 tsp ( or depending upon your spice level)
• Garlic- 1tsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Curry leaf- 3-4 nos
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Whole Red Dry Chilli- 2
• Small onions minced- 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves- 5-6 nos
• Coconut Oil-  2tsp

Preparation:

• In a pressure cooker, cook moong dal with water and salt, until 2-3 whistles.
• Grind the above mentioned grinding ingredients in a blender to smooth paste and keep aside.
• When the dal has cooked, add the ground mixture to it and combine evrything well.
• Cook in medium flame, until the raw smell of the mixture goes away.
• Adjust the constituency of the curry by adding water to it, don’t make it too watery.
• Remove from heat and cover it and keep aside.

Making the Seasoning:

• In a wide pan, heat oil, as soon as the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add whole red chilli, small onion and curry leaves.
• When the onion turns golden brown, remove from the flame.
• Add this seasoning to the Parippu/lentil curry and cover with the lid immediately for the aroma to merge into the curry.

Sambar( Mixed veggie curry)

Ingredients:

• Toor dal or Sambar lentil- 1 cup, cooked in pressure cooker in enough water

Cooking Veggies:

• Carrots, diced into medium size- 2
• Ash gourd, diced into medium size- 1
• Egg plant, diced into medium size-1
• Cucumber, deseeded, diced iinto medium size-1
• Drumsticks, fresh cut long or frozen- 10 no’s
• Small onion whole- 1o if large, 15 if small
• Green chillies, whole cut half-3
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Salt- to taste

Spice powders:

• Chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder-1 1/2 tsp
• Asafetida- a pinch

To Roast and Grind:

• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal- 1/2 tsp

Other Ingredients:

• Tamarind whole or concentrate- if using whole, gooseberry size tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp water, mashed with hands and drained to get the juice or 1/2 tsp juice.
• Water- to thin the curry

For Seasoning:

• Small onions, chopped- 4 no’s
• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Whole dry red chillies-2
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Coconut oil- 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• Cook the toor dal or sambar lentil in enough water in a pressure cooker or in a deep pot until the dal is well cooked until 2 whistles.
• Cook the veggies along with green chillies, curry leaves and salt in enough water until the veggies are tender. Don’t over cook the veggies.
• In a small pan, roast the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and urad dal until it gets golden, don’t over roast or burn these. Grind these into powder and keep aside.
• When the veggies are cooked through, add the cooked toor dal to this and mix evrything.
• Now, add all the roasted ground powder and the above mentioned spice powders: chilly powder,turmeric powder,coriander powder and asafoetida.
• Cook for few minutes until all the spice powders are well incorporated.
• Add the tamarind juice, and more salt if needed, and water if the curry is thick to thin it down and let the curry come to a boil.
• Finally, in a small pan, make the seasoning: heat the oil, add mustard seeds and let it splutter, add whole red dry chillies, curry leaves and small onion, saute until the onions becomes golden color. Immediately remove form the flame.
• Pour the seasoning into the cooked Sambar and cover with it’s lid until it is ready to be served.

Tips:

• Please adjust the spice level, salt and tamarind juice according to your needs.

Rasam:

Ingredients:

To Grind:

• Cumin seeds- 1tsp
• Whole pepper corn-1tsp
• Ginger chopped- 1tsp
• Garlic chopped- 1tsp
• Green Chilli chopped- 1/2 tsp
• Small onion chopped- 7 nos
• Tomato diced-1

Other ingredients:

• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Tamarind juice- gooseberry size whole tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp water, mash it and strain the juice
• Water- enough to thin the mixture.
• Salt-to taste
• Vegetable oil- 2tsp

Preparation:

• Grind the above ingredients for grinding to coarse paste.
• In a saucepan, add oil, when the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds and let it splutter, add curry leaves and stir it.
• Add the coarse paste to the oil, saute it until the raw flavor goes away.
• Add tamarind juice to this and add enough water to thin the mixture.
• Taste the mixture and adjust the salt and sourness, if it is too sour add more water to adjust.
• Let the mixture come to a boil.
• Remove from the flame and cover it with it’s lid.

Tips:

• Please adjust the spice level, salt and tamarind juice according to your needs.

Pickles:

Ingi puli( Ginger-Tamarind Pickle)

To Grind:

• Ginger sliced to thin rounds and fried to golden brown in oil-1 cup
• Whole red dry chilli-2
• Coriander seeds- 1tbsp
• Oil- 2tsp

Other ingredients:

• Tamarind juice- gooseberry sized ball whole tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp water, mash it ans strain the juice,
• Asafoetida – a pinch
• Jaggery or Palm sugar grated- 1tsp

For Seasoning:

• Vegetable oil- 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Whole Red dry chilly- 2

Preparation:

• Fry the sliced ginger in oil until golden brown.
• In a pan, add oil, and roast coriander seeds and whole red chilli until it turns golden brown.
• Grind together the fried ginger and the roasted coriander seeds/red chilli into smooth paste.
• In a saucepan, add 2 tsp oil, add the mustard seeds let it splutter.
• Now add whole red chillies and add the ground mixture and saute in the oil.
• Add tamarind juice to this mixture and the asafoetida and let the mixture come to a boil.
• Now add the jaggery and combine everything well.
• Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Tips:

• This dish is supposed to be spicy and tangy.
• Store this in an air-tight container and refrigerate for about 2-3 weeks.

Mango Pickle:

Ingredients:

• Raw mango diced into small cubes- 1
• Ginger, thinly sliced- 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1tsp
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
• Salt-  1/4 tsp
• Vinegar- 2 tbsp
• Sesame oil or vegetable oil- 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• In a wide pan, add the sesame oil, when it gets hot, add the mustard and let it splutter.
• Then add curry leaves, chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt and saute in the oil.
• As soon as the spices starts to brown, add the mangoes and fried ginger.
• Combine everything well and finally add the vinegar and saute for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Store this an air-tight container and refrigerate for few weeks.

Tips:

• Adjust the spice level according to your needs.

Side Dishes:

Okra in yogurt or Lady’s finger Pachadi:

Ingredients:

• Lady’s finger, cut lengthwise and chopped small- 15 nos
• Green chilli, chopped – 1
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Yogurt or Curd- 1 cup
• Salt- to taste
• Oil for frying Okra

Preparation:

• In a wide pan, heat oil add lady’s finger, green chillies and curry leaves.
• Fry until golden brown.

• Transfer into a tissue paper and let it absorb all excess oil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt and fried lady’s finger together, add salt to taste.

Beet Root Pachadi:

Ingredients:

• Beetroot grated- 1
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Water- 3/4 cup

To Grind:

• Coconut grated- 3/4 cup
• Green chillies chopped- 1
• Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp
• Ginger chopped-1/2 tsp

Other ingredients:

• Yogurt or Curd: 1 3/4 cups

For Seasoning:

• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Whole red chillies-2
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• In a saucepan, cook beetroot along with turmeric powder, salt and water until the beetroot becomes soft and tender.
• Grind all the above ingredients for grinding in a blender to smooth paste.
• Add the ground paste to the cooked beetroot and cook until the raw smell goes away.
• Now lower the flame and add the thick yogurt/curd to the above mixture stirring constantly.
• Mix everything gently and remove from the flame. Don’t boil the curd mixture as it will curdle.
• In a wide pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, let it splutter,and add whole red chillies and curry leaves, saute and remove from flame.
• Add the above seasoning to the already cooked Beetroot/yogurt mixture, close it with lid and let cool.

Mango in Yogurt Sauce or Mambazha Pulissery:

Ingredients:

• Ripe mangoes, diced- 2
• Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
• Red Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
• Water- 1 cup
• Thick yogurt/Curd- 1 cup
• Salt-to taste

To Grind:

• Coconut grated- 1 cup
• Yogurt/Curd- 1 cup
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Green chillies chopped- 1
• Curry leaves- 3 no’s

For seasoning:

• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Whole red chillies-2
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Coconut oil- 1tbsp

Preparation:

• In a saucepan, cook mango in 1 cup water, along with red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt until the mango becomes tender.
• Grind the above ingredients for grinding with 1 cup yogurt into smooth paste.
• Add the ground paste to the cooked mango and let it cook until the raw smell of the ground paste goes away in medium flame.
• Lower the heat and add the remaining 1 cup yogurt/Curd and give it a stir and combine well. Don’t boil the mixture.

Preparing the seasoning:

• In a pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutter, add whole red chillies, curry leaves and finally add fenugreek seeds.
• Saute in oil for a second and remove from the flame.

Add the above seasoning to the already cooked Mango/yogurt mixture and cover it with lid and let cool.

Kalan:

Ingredients:

• Ripe plantain, cut small- 1/2 cup
• Ash gourd, cut small- 3/4 cup
• Green chillies chopped- 1
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder- 1/4 tsp
• Water- enough to cook veggies
• Salt – to taste
• Yogurt/Curd- 3/4 cup

To Grind:

• Coconut grated- 1/2 cup
• Green chillies chopped- 1
• Garlic minced- 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Salt- to taste

For Seasoning:

• Coconut oil- 1tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Whole dry red chillies- 2
• Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Preparation:

• In a saucepan, cook ripe plantain/ash gourd in water along with green chillies, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt, until the veggies are tender.
• Grind the above mentioned ingredients for grinding to smooth paste.
• Prepare the seasoning in a small pan, heat the oil, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add red chillies, curry leaves and finally fenugreek seeds and saute for a second. keep it aside.
• In a saucepan, saute the ground mixture till the raw smell goes away for 2 minute and add cooked veggies to this and combine well.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, add 3/4 cup thick curd, and combine everything.
• Return the pan back to stove in low flame, stirring constantly for a minute.
• Remove form the flame and add the seasoning on the mixture. Cover with the lid and let cool.

Olan:

Ingredients:

• Black eyed beans- 1/2 cup
• Ash gourd, cut small- 1 1/2 cups
• Water, to cook beans- 1 1/2 cups
• Green chillies- 3
• Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Thin coconut milk- 3/4 cup
• Thick coconut milk- 1/2 cup
• Salt – to taste

For seasoning:

• Coconut oil- 1tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Small onion chopped -3 nos
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Preparation:

• Soak the black eyed beans for 4 hrs and pressure cook it with 1 1/2 cups water for 2 whistles or until cooked through.
• In a saucepan, cook ash gourd along with green chillies, cumin powder and salt in 1 cup water.
• Add the cooked beans to the cooked ash gourd and add 3/4 cup thin coconut milk, stir it and cook for a minute.
• Now add 1/2 cup thick coconut milk , salt if needed and combine everything gently. Don’t boil the mixture.

Making the seasoning:

• In a small pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add small onions and curry leaves.
• Saute until onion turns golden brown and remove from the flame.

Add this seasoning to the above cooked beans and ash gourd mixture. Cover with its lid and let cool.

Thoran( stir fried veggies in coconut):

Ingredients:

• Beans, cut small- 1 cup
• Ash gourd, diced small- 1/2 cup
• Black chick peas (optional)- 1/2 cup, cooked in water
• Water- 1/4 cup
• Green chillies, chopped- 1
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Whole red chillies-2
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp

To Grind:

• Coconut grated- 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Garlic minced- 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

• Soak the black chick peas in water for 4-5 hours and cook in  a pressure cooker until its is cooked through.
  
• Grind the above mentioned ingredients for grinding to a coarse paste.
• In a wide skillet, heat the oil, add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Add whole red chillies, curry leaves and saute for a second.
• To this add beans, ash gourd and green chillies and cook in water covering with a lid.
• When the veggies becomes tender, add the cooked black chick peas and ground mixture, stir it and cook for 2 minutes.
• If there is any water, let it evaporate and stir fry the veggies for few minutes.
• Remove from the flame and keep it covered.

Avial( Mixed Veggie in Yogurt)

Ingredients:

• Carrot, cut into thin wedges- 2
• Cucumber, deseeded and cut into thin wedges-1
• Egg plant,diced-1
• Ash gourd, cut into thin wedges- Half of 1 ash gourd
• Raw plantain, cut into thin wedges-1
• Green chillies, cut half- 2
• Curry leaves- 1 sprig
• Water- enough to cook the veggies

To Grind:

• Coconut grated- 1 cup
• Cumin seeds- 1tsp
• Small onions, chopped- 6 no’s
• Curry leaves- 5 no’s
• Tamarind whole or tamarind concentrate- small slice if using whole tamarind or 1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate

Other Ingredients:

• Yogurt or curd- 1/2 cup
• Coconut oil- 1tbsp

Preparation:

• In a deep saucepan, cook all the above mentioned veggies along with green chillies and curry leaves in enough water, until the veggies are just gets tender.
• Grind the above mentioned ingredients for grinding to a coarse mixture and keep aside.
• After the veggies are cooked, add the ground mixture to this and mix well, cook for few minutes.
• Keep the flame low and then add the yogurt/curd and gently mix everything. Don’t boil or over heat after adding the yogurt/curd. When it is mixed well, remove from the flame.
• Finally add the coconut oil and cover the saucepan with it’s lid to preserve the aroma.

Snacks:
Plantain chips:

Ingredients:

• Raw plantain cut into thin rounds- 1
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Vegetable oil for frying- 1 cup or enough for deep frying

Preparation:

• Peel off the skin from the raw plantain and slice into thin rounds.
• In a deep frying pan, heat oil, when the oil gets hot enough, add the plantains and fry it.

• Combine turmeric powder and salt with little water.
• In the middle of frying add 1 tsp of turmeric powder/water into the frying plantains and give a stir.
• Fry until golden brown and using a slotted spoon, transfer the chips into a paper towel, let drain the excess oil.

Tips:

• You can store this chips in an air tight container for few days.

Fried Plantain coated in jaggery syrup or Upperi:

Ingredients:

• Raw plantain, cut lengthwise and diced 1/2 inch thick- 2
• Vegetable oil- enough for deep frying

For syrup:

• Jaggery or Palm sugar- 3/4 cup
• Water- 2 tbsp
• Ginger powder- 1 tsp
• Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Other ingredients:

• Powdered sugar- 2 tbsp

Preparation:

• In a deep frying pan, heat oil, and add the diced plantain and deep fry it until golden brown. keep aside.

Making the syrup:

• In a saucepan, add jaggery, water and let the jaggery dissolve in water.
• Add ginger powder and cumin powder to the jaggery and give it a stir.
• When the jaggery starts to thicken, add the fried plantain and stir to coat the syrup evenly on the fried plantain.

• Remove from the flame and immediately add powdered sugar and mix it.
• Transfer into a bowl and let cool.

Indian Wafer or Pappadam:

• Pappadam- 1 packet or depending upon how many is needed
• Vegetable oil – enough for frying

Preparation:

• In a deep frying pan, heat the oil and put the pappadam into the oil.
• It will bubble up immediately.
• Using a slotted spoon, flip to the other side and fry for less than a second.
• Remove from the oil and transfer into a paper towel.
• This should be made just before serving the meal and should be kept in an air tight container. Pappadam when kept uncovered will loose its crispy texture easily.

Dessert:

Vermicelli in sweetened milk or Semiya Payasam:

Ingredients:

• Vermicelli- 1/2 cup
• Milk- 3 1/2 cups
• Sweetened condensed milk- 3/4 of 14 oz can
• Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
• Saffron strands( optional)- 1/4 tsp soaked in 1 tbsp milk
• Ghee- 2 tbsp
• Cashew nuts- 10-15 nos
• Raisins- 2 tbsp

Preparation:

• Roast the vermicelli in 1 tbsp ghee until golden color and keep aside.
• In a saucepan in medium heat, add milk and roasted vermicelli, let the vermicelli cook in milk until soft.
• Add the condensed milk to this stirring constantly.
• Add the cardamom powder and saffron soaked in milk.
• Combine everything and let it come to a boil and then remove from the flame and cover with the lid.
• In a small pan, add 1 tbsp ghee, roast cashew nuts and raisins.
• Add the roasted cashew nuts and raisins to the above cooked mixture.
• Serve the payasam in bowls.

Tips:

• Leftover payasam can be chilled, it tastes really tasty the next day.
• You can adjust the sweetness of the payasam by adjusting the condensed milk.

How to serve Sadya on a Banana leaf:

• On the top side of the banana leaf away from the person sitting in front of it, serve one banana, snacks, pickles and side dishes in a line.
• On the other side of the leaf, first course  served will be Rice with Parippu and little ghee.
• Second course  will be, Sambar along with more Rice if needed.
• Third course  will be Rice with Rasam.
• Fourth course will be Rice with Beaten yogurt or Moru
• In the final round dessert is served on the same banana leaf, depending upon how many payasams you have, it is served one by one starting with the Vermicelli Payasam.

Devour each and every dish and don’t be ashamed to lick your fingers at the end, which you’ll do even without your knowledge:)