Karupatti aval payasam (palm jaggery and pressed rice Payasam)

Why you should make this recipe:

This was a popular dish from my child hood. My mom, specially in summer season would buy the local jaggery from the travelling vendors and make this dish. If you have access to fresh jaggery, this dish will blossom but even store bought is ok.

This recipe is a very simple dessert that you can put togethere if you have unexpected visitors.

Ingredients

Milk – 2 cups
Pressed rice – 1 cup
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
Roasted cashew powder – 2 tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Raisins- 1/8 cup
Whole cashew – 1/8 cup
Water – 1 cup

Method

Add Palm jaggery to a small pot along with 1 cup water. Melt the jaggery on a low flame.
When the jaggery melts and begins to bubble up then set this aside to cool completely. The syrup must turn sticky and don’t need a string consistency.
Heat 1/2 tbsp ghee in a pan and fry the cashews until lightly golden. Add raisins and fry until they turn plump. Set these aside.
Heat 1/2 tbsp ghee in a same pan.Add Aval (pressed rice/ poha) to the pan and keep frying on a low flame.
Once the aval begins to smell good and will change to golden brown. Set these aside.
Pour 2 cups milk in the pan let it boil in a slow flame.
Once the milk boiled add cardamom powder and the Aval to milk, cook on a medium heat until the Aval turns soft. Stir often to prevent the milk scorching at the bottom.
Mix the roasted cashew powder and the shallow fried Cashew, raisins. Stir and cook on a medium heat until the payasam turns thick.
Filter the jaggery syrup to the payasam. Turn off the stove and mix everything well. Do not cook further, take it off from the stove.
Serve aval payasam warm or cold.