Coconut Kheer / Thengai Payasam

 

I tried a few recipes after going thru PJ's blog during last marathon and this yummy kheer was one among them. I prepare and have eaten coconut milk based kheers and kheers containing coconut but this sounded interesting as coconut plays the key role here and besides I am a sucker for coconut. This payasam is prepared using coconut, rice and jaggery and is a traditional fare among Tamilian households. It is prepared as a neivedyam (religious offering) on festive occasions. As all traditional kheers, this one was also delicious besides being simple to prepare. I was expecting a yellow kheer but instead surprisingly ended up with a white colored one. I guess it was because of the pale colored jaggery I used. I have no complaints and passing it as my "White" colored entry to blogging marathon.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
1 & 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded fresh / frozen coconut
1/4 cup powdered jaggery
1 Tbsp rice
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tsp ghee
1 Tbsp each - cashews and raisins

Method:
* Soak rice in hot water for about 10 - 15 minutes and drain.
* Soak jaggery in 3 - 4 Tbsp of water until melted and strain to remove any impurities present.
* Meanwhile, heat milk in a sauce pan, preferably a non stick one.
* Grind coconut, soaked rice and cardamom to a fine paste adding some milk if needed.
* Gently stir the melted jaggery and the ground paste to the boiling milk.
* Simmer for about 10 minutes and turn off the stove.
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashews and raisins. Toast cashews until golden brown and the raisins turn plump. Add them to the kheer and stir.
* Enjoy kheer warm or serve chilled.

Check here to find out what other marathoners are cooking during blogging marathon #29.

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