Easiest Pal payasam ever!

pal payasam

My mom’s specialty was payasams. Her pal payasam tastes absolutely divine. My older brother has inherited her skills. His payasam is actually a notch better than my mother’s!

My strategy for making payasam is simple. Just call my mom or my brother for the proportions. And they will guide you through the whole process. Easy, right?

Every single time I call her, after amma tells me how to make payasam her way, she always mentions about this shortcut pressure cooker recipe. This method saves a lot of stirring time and still gives you the same results – the perfect pink, thick payasam. It was her cousin’s way of doing it, something she never tried herself.

Somehow we all trusted mom’s tried and tested traditional method and never bothered trying any other way.

This time when I wanted to make payasam, I thought I will give a try to her oft mentioned, but never tried recipe, a chance. I am glad I did. Like she said – same creamy payasam and a lot less effort. I know she would have been happy :-)!

The payasam measurements are a rough translation of 1 litre whole milk + 1 cup sugar + a (closed fist) handful of washed raw rice pressure cooked with a pinch of cardamom. Whole milk makes a difference in getting the perfect consistency. If it’s skim or 2% milk you are using, then a bit of butter will help in getting the consistency right.

pal payasam-001

Recipe source: My family
Theme : 3 ingredient recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 liter whole milk (4 cups)
  • 1.5 tbsp raw rice, washed (a closed fist handful of rice)
  • 1 cup sugar (reduce a bit if you prefer)
  • Pinch cardamom powder, optional
  • 3-4 tbsp butter, optional

Method:

  1. We are using pressure cooker method. Use the biggest cooker you have. So take a clean cooker and add the milk, washed rice and the sugar in it. You can add a pinch of cardamom powder also. Use a 5 liter cooker even if you are making only one liter of milk. With a clean spatula, mix everything well so that the sugar doesn’t cover the rice completely.
  2. Pressure cook until the 1st whistle comes. After that, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let the payasam cook for 45 minutes.
  3. Switch off after 45 minutes and don’t disturb the cooker until the pressure drops completely.
  4. Open the cooker after that and your payasam is ready!
  5. If the payasam is still on the watery side, you can add 2-3 tbsp butter/ghee and bring it to a boil. Boil it without the cooker lid for about 15 minutes or until your preferred consistency is reached, stirring now and then.

Notes:

  1. Use the biggest cooker you have. Don’t fill more than half the cooker or else milk will come out of the whistle making it messy to clean up.
  2. The recipe scales well.
  3. If you are not using whole milk, you might want to add butter or ghee to make the payasam thicker.
  4. Make sure the cooker and the lid is really clean, else the milk might curdle.
  5. You can add a pinch of cardamom powder or one crushed cardamom to the payasam at the beginning. I opted out of this one.
  6. A handful of fried cashews in ghee is a great addition to this payasam. Again, this is optional.
  7. Sweetness can be adjusted to your personal preference.
  8. Adding plain butter or even ghee to the payasam makes it yummier. Again, optional.

pal payasam-003

30 thoughts on “Easiest Pal payasam ever!”

  2. Tried the receipe thrice but all three times milk curdled. Got the exact color but unfortunately couldn’t eat. Not sure why the milk curdled because had cleaned the utensils properly. Please suggest

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    1. Milk could curdle for many reasons, it could be old or it may not have been stored at the right temperature before we buy it. Sometimes an entire batch of milk gets spoiled without any particular reason. I forgot to mention this in the post, but I keep a separate cooker just for making the payasam. That way I am 100% sure that no other food contaminates the milk.

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    1. Yes, 20 minutes in porridge mode or Manual mode. And after natural release, boil in Sim mode until it thickens to your preference. I let it boil for almost 30 minutes with a bit of butter for creaminess.

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  4. my doubt is the milk in cooker will ooze out from the cooker when the whistle blows? please clarify or we have to use a big cooker?

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  5. Hi Rajani, tried out this pal payasam today and (“my god! where were you all these days?”)it turned out so PERFECT. It is as the name suggests the easiest dish.Thank you so much and please keep posting such recipes and my wishes for pursuing your passion more in the years to come.

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  11. Amma’s recipes and tips are always the best and I’m sure your mom would love your shortcut version a lot :-)
    Pal payasam looks so creamy and delicious.

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  12. What a lovely color Rajani! I also make paal payasam this way, but your steel plate tip is something I want to try next time. I also like the idea of using some butter to help thicken up the consistency of the payasam. Lovely post!

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  20. Not a fan of pal payasam but hubby and elder one are . That tip of steel plate is very new to me.. Pics are very inviting !!

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