VERMICELLI PAYASAM

Ingredients :

Vermicelli- 1/2 cup (thin variety)

Milk - 4 cups

Sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Ghee - 4 tbps

Almonds - 2 tbps

Cashews - 2 tbps

Raisins - 2 tbps

Method:

1. Fry vermicelli in 2 tbps of ghee, till light gold in color.

2. Let it gets cold. Skin almonds-chop them into small pieces. Fry the almonds,cashews in 2 tbps of ghee, till well toasted.

3.Boil the milk, add the vermicelli and keep on stirring over low heat till the vermicelli is just cooked and the milk is thick. (Do not over cook the vermicelli).

4. Reduce heat and add sugar little by little-stirring all the time till the sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat, when cold, mix in the almonds, cashews and raisins. Serve chilled.

RICE PAAYASAM

Ingredients:

Rice - 1/2 cup

Milk - 6 cups

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Camphor - pinch
or nutmeg - pinch

Cashews and Raisins - 1/4 cup (Together)

Method :

1.Wash rice well, and cook it with milk till semi thick (stirring all the time so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the vessel and the rice is well cooked.)

2.Reduce heat; add the sugar, little by little when sugar is well incorporated remove from fire.

3.Fry in ghee the cashew nuts and raisins, till golden in color.

4.When cold add to paayasam.

5.Powder camphor or nutmeg and add that too.

6.Serve hot or cold.

Tips :

You could add 1/4 cup of beaten cream when the paayasam is cold.

Instead of sugar you could heat 1-1/4 cup of palm jaggery(or ordinary jaggery) with a 1/4 cup of water-when jaggery completely dissolves-strain and when cold, add to the cold thickened paayasam.

Add powdered camphor or nutmeg.