Friday, June 16, 2006

SemiyaPayasam

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We have umpteen variety of kheers/payasams/sweet porridges..Payasams or Kheers have been an integral part of our culture....There are also Payasams which are famous for the great mythology and legends associated with it,like the famous
  • Amablappuzha PalPayasam
  • and
  • Guruvayoor Palpayasam
  • ....the sweetness of which is just unmatched...

    Vermicelli(which means literally, 'little worms'!!) is in fact a type of pasta, thinner than spaghetti.I really don't understand how the Italian Vermicelli became our Semiya/Seviyan/Shemai/Seva; and that too became a hot favourite for many in the Indian Subcontinent.....as Semiya upma,Khichdi,payasam etc...Perhaps Semiya gained popularity by virtue of its richness and perhaps the ease with which it can be cooked....I had finished my preparation for the dinner yesterday and was about to set it, when my husband had a strange 'desire' to have payasam or something sweet!!The only quick payasam that came to my mind was Semiya Payasam and in 15 minutes my Payasam was ready.So here goes the recipe.Well I should say the recipe is for all those toddlers in cooking,masters can definitely taste!!

    Ingredients
    (Serves-2)
    Vermicelli - 150 gms
    Milk - 3 cups
    Condensed Milk-1/4 cup(For those who wish their payasam to be richer n thick,hence optional)
    Butter-1tbsp
    Sugar -4tbsp or as needed
    Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp
    Cashew nuts-25g
    Raisins -25g
    Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp


    Method

    Fry the vermicelli in half tbsp ghee till it turns golden brown.Boil milk.Add the roasted vermicelli.Keep stirring,so that it doesn't stick to the vessel. Once the vermicelli becomes soft,add the condensed milk,butter and sugar as needed.If the condensed milk is sweetened,adjust the sugar accordingly.Simmer it for 3 or 4 minutes.Once it has reached the requried consistency, add cardamom powder and stir well.Prepare the seasoning by roasting cashewnuts and raisins in ghee( till golden ).Now add the seasoning to the Payasam and mix well.You may add 2 or 3 saffron strands if you like the flavour.Now serve it hot/cold, as you like it!


    As
  • LG
  • said, some people prefer to cook the semiya payasam in pressure cooker also.For me the necessity never occured because it is after all a cooking for two...and semiya payasam required very little time...at least now I have the patience to keep stirring...("Puthanachi purappuram....."!!).I asked my mother abt Pressure cooked payasam.This is the method she used:
    Add double the quantity thin Coconut milk with roasted semiya and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.Once cooked,remove the lid and add 1 cup of boiled milk(dairy).Add sugar and cook it for another couple of minutes and then add the seasoning and the cardamom...hmm..that sounds too cool!

    2 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    I have seen people cook the paaysam in a pressure cooker,so as to avoid stirring. Do you know anything about it?

    indianadoc said...

    >LG,well,I have never cooked semiya payasam in pressure cooker for it requires only a few minutes for me to cook payasam just for both of us.I asked my mother abt pressure cooked payasam.This is the method she used:Add double the quantity thin Coconut milk with roasted semiya and pressure cook it for 3minutes.Remove the lid and add 1 cup of boiled milk(dairy).Add the required sugar and cook it for another couple of minutes and then add the seasoning and the cardamom.