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Payasam (Keralan rice pudding)

Soma Bhattacharya from Coconut Coast
Brimming with treacle-like sweetness, this traditional dessert, prepared by chef Soma Bhattacharya is a much loved regional favourite

Payasam (Keralan rice pudding)

Method

1. Place the rice in a large saucepan, pour over the water and add the cardamom pods. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is soft and almost all the water has evaporated. This should take around 10-15 minutes. Stir in a teaspoon of ghee and add enough cardamom powder, ginger powder and ground cumin to taste.

2. Place the jaggery in a saucepan, add the water and dissolve over a gentle heat. Use this syrup to sweeten the rice pudding. It's very much up to you how much you add.

3. For the decoration: heat the ghee in a frying pan and when hot, fry the coconut slivers until they are just beginning to turn colour. Add the cashew nuts and continue cooking, stirring all the time until the nuts and coconut are golden.

4. Transfer the rice pudding to a bowl and serve warm, scattered with the coconut and cashew nuts.

Cooks Notes:
Jaggery is available from South Asian grocers

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Serves: 6

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 25 min

Ingredients
250g pudding rice
500ml water
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp clarified butter, (ghee)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp toasted cumin seeds, pounded