Cracked Pearl Millet Kheer / Sajja Nooka Payasam

Kheer / payasam is one of those Indian desserts that can be prepared in no time and is always delicious. Though the basic kheer is made with rice, there are plenty of other varieties to entice. It can be prepared using any grain, some varieties of beans and fruits and so I bet even a sparse pantry can afford a kheer preparation. Milk and sugar are the other required ingredients to make a kheer. The traditional version kheer is cooked mostly using dairy milk though some south Indian version recipes use coconut milk. Sugar / jaggery are the usual sweeteners whereas cardamom and toasted nuts add flavor and a yummy garnish to a kheer. 

Today's kheer is made with cracked pearl millet. Pearl millet aka bajra has been cultivated in India for thousands of years now and like other millets, it is one of the healthiest grains on earth. It is specifically beneficial to diabetics and can be incorporated into various everyday Indian dishes even if one is not familiar with the grain. This gluten free grain can be used to make rotis, idlis, dosas and so on. 

I kept the kheer to a simple, basic version though it can be made richer by addition of nut paste or condensed milk. Coconut milk also works in the recipe in place of dairy milk. I made the kheer with jaggery since it is healthier compared to sugar. I directly add it to the kheer since the jaggery I buy is usually very neat. In case, the jaggery appears to have any impurities, boil it with some water, filter out the impurities and then use the jaggery solution in the recipe. However in lieu of jaggery, sugar can be substituted in the recipe. Sometimes I refrain from using both and add a little stevia to each bowl before serving.

Also there is a possibility that sometimes the combination of hot milk and jaggery would end up being curdled. I have never faced that problem but in that case either of the following can be done. The milk can be boiled separately, cooled and then added to the cooked millet and jaggery mixture when it is not too hot. Or the jaggery can be melted separately with little water and added to the cooked millet - milk mixture when it cools down. One can follow any one of the methods and basically, the point is to not to mix the milk and jaggery when they are hot.  

Ingredients: (Yield -  3 to 4 servings)
1/4 cup cracked pearl millet / sajja nooka
1/2 cup water
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp. ghee
1 tbsp. cashews
1/2 cup jaggery powder* 
1 and 1/4 cups full fat milk
* Adjust the quantity of jaggery to taste. I added less than 1/2 cup.

Directions:
1. Rinse the cracked pearl millet once with water and drain. Pressure cook it adding 1/2 cup water for 2 or 3 whistles.
2. Lightly mash the cardamom pods and separate out the seeds. Grind the cardamom seeds finely and keep aside.
3. Heat ghee in a pan and toast cashews until golden brown. Transfer the toasted cashews into a small bowl. 
4. Add the cooked millet, jaggery and ground cardamom along with pods to the same ghee pan and stir on low flame until the jaggery melts. 
5. Next add the milk and cook on low flame until the milk starts to boil and switch off the flame. (Sometimes addition of milk to the hot jaggery mixture may end up being curdled. I never had this issue and so follow the above method. However if one is worried about the problem, then the milk can be separately boiled, cooled and then added after step 4. ) 
6. Add the toasted cashew nuts and serve either warm or chilled.

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A - Z Karnataka Cuisine ~ F for Field Beans Payasa / Avarekaalu Payasa

So far in my A - Z Karnataka Series
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E  - Ellu Pajji

Finding a 'F' dish with a Kannada name is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are practically no recipes that begin with 'F' sound and I had no choice other than to resort to using an English name.  Even the south Indian favorite Filter coffee that has been so entwined in the morning routine of millions of households cannot be claimed as a Kannada word. Recipes involving menthya - fenugreek in seeds or greens form, agase - flax seeds were some of the choices I had. And then I remembered avarekalu, the beloved winter beans of Kannadigas also can be called as field beans / hyacinth beans and that's what is the star of today's paayasa aka kheer. 

Avarekaalu or field beans is a winter crop and the markets in the Bangalore region are flooded with it during the season. My mother was mentioning that nowadays there is no seasonal limit as they are available year round. The quality however is superior during the winter season, she thinks. I am not sure about it but I got hold of some peeled beans during the month of August at V.V.Puram tindi beedhi during my last India visit. 

The stores did not carry peeled beans while we were growing up and trust me, peeling these avarekaalu is a chore. It used to be a family activity during evenings in many households especially when one has loads of beans on their hands. One need to separate the beans from the pods initially, being careful to check for the worms that may be lurking in some of the pods. The separated beans then get soaked in water for a few hours and again the thin, transparent covering over the beans are removed by squeezing in between one's thumb and forefinger. The beans need to be used immediately or need to be refrigerated since they go stale quickly. Freezing is a better option over refrigeration if there are no power cuts that happen to be a frequent occurrence in India.  Nowadays one can find the ready to use, shelled beans which is an obviously an easier option.  

Avarekaalu paayasa is one of the traditional kheer recipes from the state of Karnataka though not well known as much as the gasagase payasa or the poppy seeds kheer in the online world. Though the use of field beans in a sweet dish may sound unusual and even downright weird to some but trust me, it tastes delicious. Mostly people associate avarekaaalu with the local spicy curry preparations or throw a few in while making breakfast dishes like, rotti, dose, uppittu or make a chivda kind of snack. Trust me, try this if you can get hold of avarekaalu aka fresh field beans or hyacinth beans and you will be hooked. 

This paayasa has a pudding consistency and milk is not used in this preparation. The peeled beans are cooked and then simmered along with a coconut - poppy seed paste and jaggery. The addition of cardamom brightly flavors the payasa and the toasted cashews and raisins add a nice contrast to the smooth consistency of the payasa. Skip ghee from the recipe if vegan and add the cashews and raisins directly to the payasa at the final stages of cooking. Or they can be toasted in any flavorless oil. Add the cashews and raisins and skip adding the oil. 

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh field beans / avarekaalu /
1/2 cup shredded coconut / kobbari
1 to 1.5 tbsp. white poppy seeds / gasagase
1/2 to 3/4 cup jaggery / bella 
2 cardamoms / elakki
1 tbsp. ghee / thuppa
1 tbsp. cashews / godambi
1 tbsp. raisins / ona drakshi

Directions:
* Rinse and add avarekaalu to a container, Add enough water to top the beans and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles. 

* Mean while, grind the coconut and poppy seeds to a paste adding water as needed. 
* Grind the cardamom seeds finely and keep aside. 
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooker lid. Grind the beans into a smooth / coarse paste along with the water used to cook. Add extra water if needed. Grinding step is optional and I did according to my mother's recipe as I did not want to see all beans in my payasa. I left a few whole though. The cooked beans can directly be used in the next step if one doesn't mind their texture in the payasa.
* Heat a pot, preferably a non stick one and add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water.

* Let the jaggery melt. There is no need to form a syrup. If the jaggery being used is not clean, strain the jaggery water and use it. (My jaggery was clean and I didn't have to do it.)

* Next add coconut - poppy seeds paste and cardamom. Simmer for a couple of minutes. (One can add cardamom at the final stages of cooking as well.)

* Now add the cooked avarekaalu or the ground paste to the pan. 

* Stir well and add water as needed. The payasa gets thicker once it cools down and further thickens if refrigerated and so add water to the payasa accordingly. I haven't provided the water quantity but one can gauge the situation as the cooking progresses and can add water as needed. Let it cook on low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes. If the avarekaalu was added directly, lightly mash them with the back of the ladle. Keep stirring the mixture in between, especially if not using a non stick pan to avoid the payasa burning at the bottom. 

* Heat a small pan and add ghee. When it melts, add cashews and raisins. Toast them until cashews turn golden brown and raisins turn plump. 

* Add the toasted cashews and raisins to payasa and mix well. The payasa can be served warm or chilled as well.

Notes:
1.  I don't get avarekaalu locally and used frozen surti papdi lilva in this recipe though I  am not 100% sure that avaraekaalu and papdi are one and the same. Avarekaalu are not that vividly green as the frozen papdi lilva and are bigger in size. This is how avarekaalu looks like.
2. Jaggery quantity depends upon the sweetness of the jaggery being used and can be increased or decreased according to one's taste.
3. Fresh or frozen coconut can be used but not the dried or the desiccated variety. Thaw the coconut if using frozen variety.
4. Grinding the cooked avarekaalu is optional but recommended.

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Saggubiyyam - Kobbari Payasam / Sago and Coconut Kheer

A sweet pudding made with sago, jaggery and coconut

Growing up, the standard payasams cooked at home were either rice based paramannam or sago based one until the ready made vermicelli started selling in the market. To be honest, I did not use to appreciate the sago payasam as I do now. Sago kheer started to a become a regular feature somehow when I had my own home and hearth, and acquired the status of being a favorite payasam. 

I decided to switch to jaggery this time and also threw some coconut at the last moment. The resulting payasam was tasting so good that I have decided to stick to this new version in the future. The final payasam is creamy and delicious and has no resemblance to the stand version in any manner. Give this a try if you are looking for a payasam recipe and I assure that you would not get disappointed. 

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1/4 cup sago / saggubiyyam
1/4 cup shredded fresh coconut
1 cup milk
1/2 powdered jaggery
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp. ghee
1 tbsp. cashew nuts


Method:
* Rinse and soak sago for about 10 minutes in water. Drain and wash away the starch powder. I do it to get rid of some of the starch but this step is however optional.
* Choose preferably a non stick pot or a non stick sauce pan to cook kheer. Add drained sago and a cup of water and cook on low flame, stirring occasionally. Cook until all the sago pearls become transparent. 
(Starch keeps building up while cooking the sago and tends to stick to the bottom of the pan if not stirred intermittently. If one finds cooking sago tricky because of the starch buildup, follow this step. When the water used to cook sago becomes starchy, add another cup of cold water. Sago pearls go to the bottom of the pan and then throw away all the (starchy) water from the pan. Add a fresh cup of water to the sago and continue to cook. This step can be repeated one more time while cooking sago.)
* Crush the cardamom pods using a mortar and pestle. Grind the cardamom seeds fine. 
* Throw away all the water in the pan when the sago pearls become transparent. Add fresh coconut, jaggery, milk and cardamom to the pan. Cook on low flame until the jaggery melts and milk starts to boil. Turn off the stove.
(I usually add milk and jaggery together and it has never curdled. Touch wood. In case, if you feel milk is going to curdle because of the addition of jaggery, milk may be separately boiled in another pan, cooled and added finally.)
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashews. Toast them until they turn golden brown. Add them to the kheer along with the ghee and give a quick stir.
* The kheer can be served warm or chilled.


This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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Dry Fruits & Nuts Kheer

This dry fruits - nuts kheer is easy to prepare and sinfully rich and delicious. The milk is boiled along with ground nuts until it turns thick and creamy. One can use any dry fruits or nuts they have on hand. It takes some time to reduce the milk quantity but it's worth it. 

Ingredients: (Yield 2 servings)
1 & 3/4 cups full fat milk
1/4 cup assorted nuts (I used cashews, almonds and pistachios.)
1 tsp. ghee + 2 tbsp dry fruits (I used raisins and dried sweetened cranberries.)
2 cardamom pods
2 to 3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
Coarsely chopped nuts to garnish

Method:
* Heat the milk, preferably in a non stick pan. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to lowest setting and continue to heat it for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring in between.
* Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a saute pan on low flame for a couple of minutes and keep it aside to cool. Once cool, grind them fine. 
* Heat ghee in a small pan and add the raisins and cranberries. When they plump up, remove them with a slotted spoon onto a plate and keep aside.
* Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle and grind the seeds to a fine powder. Don't throw away the husks.
* Add the ground nuts, ground cardamom along with the husks and condensed milk to the milk pan. Continue to cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally. By the time, the milk reduces a bit in quantity and becomes thicker.
* Turn off the stove and add the toasted raisins and cranberries.
* Garnish with chopped nuts and serve it either warm or chilled.

This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.


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Paal Payasam ~ South Indian Milk Pudding

The past month for us marked two birthdays, visits from extended family members and a bout of illness that affected every one at home. After that unplanned month break, I am back in business with a traditional sweet dish from the southern parts of India. Payasam, the south Indian term and kheer, the north Indian name basically refer to the same dish - an eggless sweetened milk pudding cooked on stove top adding either a grain or lentil or vegetable and so on. Milk is the star ingredient in today's payasam where only a tiny quantity of rice is added, similar to the case of a kheer preparation. Usually milk and water are cooked until the quantity is reduced to half here, allowing a slow caramelization that lends the payasam a light cream colored hue. 

To be honest, I have never seen my mother or grand mothers preparing this since this seems to be a typical preparation from Tamil nadu and Kerala. Our go to dish when it comes to traditional payasams in Andhra happens to be paramannam. I am not sure how many modern kitchens still prepare it but it also happens to be a rice based payasam. 
I just went through recipes from online when I tried it for the first time, that were basically the same. One either cooks in a pot that happens to be the traditional aka tedious process or use a pressure cooker which cuts down the cooking time considerably. The short cut method however doesn't compromise in the taste department and so I usually go with it.
Ingredients:
4 cups milk / 1 litre milk
1 tsp. ghee
2 to 3 Tbsp. rice
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar (or according to taste)
2 cardamom pods
1 tbsp. cashews 


Method:
* Heat the ghee in a small saute pan and fry the cashews if using, to golden brown. Transfer the cashews onto a plate with a slotted spoon. 
* Add rice to the same ghee and fry rice for a couple of minutes on a slow flame. Next pulse the rice a couple of times just to break the grains. There is no need to coarsely grind the rice. 
* Grease inside bottom of the cooker with little ghee and add the broken rice grains and milk to it. Drop a small spoon into the milk to prevent the milk from spilling over while pressure cooked. 
(I usually drop a spoon even when I am boiling the milk in a pot or leave a ladle in the pan to avoid the milk from boiling over.)
* Cook the milk on lowest setting of heat for one whistle. When the pressure subsides, remove the lid and continue to cook on low flame until the milk turns thick and creamy or until the milk coats the back of the ladle.
* Next add the sugar and ground cardamom seeds and continue to cook until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the stove and add the toasted cashews. 
* Serve warm or cold.

This goes to Blogging marathon # 89, under the 'Indian Sweets - Payasams' theme. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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