Paladai Payasam (Rice Ada Kheer)

This is yet another recipe I learnt from Sudha mami, my aunt.  It's just so yummy and yet so simple!  This is a typical Kerala fare. Folks who like paal payasam will just loove this too :)  Before I left Madras, my mom bought some rice ada to take with me to Singapore.  I decided to give the traditional recipe a mild twist, by adding a little of cocoa powder and it was well received by my guests! ^ ^

What You Need -

Milk - 1 litre (You can use 800 ml milk and 200 ml water, unless you're going with low-fat milk)
Rice Ada - 200 g
Sugar - 100 g

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp  => for flavor
Cocoa powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Cashews - 10-15
Ghee - 1 tsp
Condensed milk - 1 tbsp (optional)

How I Made It -

• Cook Rice Ada with Milk in a pressure cooker for about 5-6 whistles. This helps to reduce the time you need to cook it on the stove later.
• If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a slow cooker or cook in a sauce pan for about 45 minutes.
• Once the pressure subsides, empty the cooked rice ada with milk into a wide-mouthed flat-bottomed vessel.
• Add sugar, cardamom powder and keep stirring. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
• Add 1/4 tsp (~2 pinches) of cocoa powder and continue stirring for another 10 minutes.
• Finally, add 1 tbsp of condensed milk and mix well for 5 minutes. The final product will be of the same consistency as paal payasam, i.e., thicker than milk but not as dense as condensed milk.
• Garnish with ghee-roasted cashewnuts :)

 Enjoy it hot or cold :) Ummm...Absolutely heavenly! :)