Happy Vishu to all Keralites…
Vishu is a celebration of Kerala, which represents the Malayalam New year. On Vishu day it is a custom to set up the “Vishukani” which in Malayalam means “the first thing to see after waking up on Vishu day”. Vishukani consists of ritual arrangements of auspicious things, and the people who celebrate this festival see those things first after they wake up. It is a belief that seeing those things first would bring prosperity and happiness all year round.
There will be family gatherings and a grant feast “Sadya” will be often served. They wind up the day by bursting crackers and there will be fireworks as part of the celebration. Last night, while I was thinking of Vishu celebration in Kerala, my mind went behind Sadya and I got a sudden craving for Ada payasam or pradhaman. Ada payasam or pradhaman is a popular Kerala dessert, made during special occasions and celebrations. It is made using rice flakes, jaggery, coconut and coconut milk.
I didn’t have Ada(rice flakes). I had rice pasta and so decided to use this as a substitute for Ada to make the payasam. It came out pretty delicious. Since it was an instant decision I was out of cashew nuts so had to skip garnishing the payasam with it.
If you have Ada which is available in Indian stores do make with it, else use Rice pasta fettuccine after breaking it to 2 inch pieces.
Rice Pasta Payasam or Pradhaman
Ingredients:
- Rice pasta fettuccine, broken to 2 inch pieces or use Ada- 30 no’s
- Jaggery, melted using little water- 1/2 cup or according to how sweet you want
- Coconut grated- 1/4 cup
- Whole Cardamom, smashed- 2 no’s
- Dry ginger, smashed- 1 inch slice or use 1/4 tsp ground dry ginger
- Coconut milk- 1 can or 400 mL
- Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee- 1/4 cup
- Ghee- 4 tbsp
Instruction
- Cook rice pasta or Ada in boiling water till it turns tender, drain the water and keep the pasta aside.
- Melt 1 large cube of jaggery in 3-4 tbsp water, strain the syrup,we’ll be using 1/2 cup of it.
- Heat a saucepan, add 3 tbsp ghee and roast the grated coconut till it turns golden brown in color.
- Add the melted jaggery to it and give it a stir.
- Add the smashed cardamom and dry ginger to it.
- Put the cooked rice pasta or ada to the mixture, combine well.
- Pour coconut milk to the mixture and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Let the payasam come to a boil, when it starts to bubble remove from the heat.
- It should have not so watery nor so thick constituency. When the payasam cools down it gets thicker constituency.
- Roast cashew nuts in 1 tbsp ghee.
- Garnish the payasam with roasted cashew nuts.
- Serve warm, tastes delicious when chilled.
Tips:
- Adjust the amount of jaggery according to your sweet level.
- You could also garnish the payasam with coconut slices roasted in ghee.
- Rice pasta fettuccine, broken to 2 inch pieces or use Ada- 30 no's
- Jaggery, melted using little water- ½ cup or according to how sweet you want
- Coconut grated- ¼ cup
- Whole Cardamom, smashed- 2 no's
- Dry ginger, smashed- 1 inch slice or use ¼ tsp ground dry ginger
- Coconut milk- 1 can or 400 mL
- Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee- ¼ cup
- Ghee- 4 tbsp
- Cook rice pasta or Ada in boiling water till it turns tender, drain the water and keep the pasta aside.
- Melt 1 large cube of jaggery in 3-4 tbsp water, strain the syrup,we'll be using ½ cup of it.
- Heat a saucepan, add 3 tbsp ghee and roast the grated coconut till it turns golden brown in color.
- Add the melted jaggery to it and give it a stir.
- Add the smashed cardamom and dry ginger to it.
- Put the cooked rice pasta or ada to the mixture, combine well.
- Pour coconut milk to the mixture and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Let the payasam come to a boil, when it starts to bubble remove from the heat.
- It should have not so watery nor so thick constituency. When the payasam cools down it gets thicker constituency.
- Roast cashew nuts in 1 tbsp ghee.
- Garnish the payasam with roasted cashew nuts.
- Serve warm, tastes delicious when chilled.
You could also garnish the payasam with coconut slices roasted in ghee.
