Coconut Payasam

Every Friday, I used to do Thiru vilakku poojai at home. So I make payasam / sweet pongal or kesari for neivedyam. For today’s Friday pooja, I tried arisi thengai payasam ( Rice coconut kheer with jaggery) for the first time asking the recipe from my MIL. It came out very well. We loved it a lot.

This coconut payasam is surely a keeper. I have decided to try this for my guests too. It was so nice with a great smell of coconut. I added ghee roasted coconut bits (Kerala style) which gave a nice crunchy taste in between while eating. Do try this thengai payasam / coconut payasam with jaggery for a change from our usual paruppu payasam. U’ll love it 🙂

Thengai payasam/Coconut payasam recipe for festivals and pooja.Tastes great !

Cuisine: Indian Category: Dessert Yields: Serves 2

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup – 200ml

To soak n To grind

Raw rice – 1.5 tsp
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup (tightly packed)

For syrup

Grated jaggery – 1/2 cup
Elachi/Cardamom seeds – 3 nos (powdered)
Milk or coconut milk – 2 tbsp(optional)

To roast in ghee

Ghee – 2 tsp
Coconut pieces – 1/2 tbsp
Dry grapes – few (optional)
Cashews – Few nos (optional)

METHOD – HOW TO MAKE ARISI THENGAI PAYASAM

Wash and soak the raw rice in water for 30- 45 minutes. Grate the coconut. Grind the coconut and rice adding 1/2 cup of water to a smooth paste.

In a bowl, take the ground paste and add 1.5 cups of water. Allow it to cook well in simmer flame for 10-12 minutes. Stir in between to avoid getting burnt bottom. The mixture will turn slightly thick like a porridge.

In the meantime, grate jaggery. Add 1/4 cup of water, melt it, make a syrup, strain to remove impurities and set aside.
When the coconut paste is cooked well, add this syrup. Mix well. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Roast the coconut pieces & cashews in ghee and add to the payasam. Add cardamom powder.
Remove and add the boiled & cooled milk. Mix and Serve.
Enjoy !

Note

Use paagu vellam to get a nice color.
Adding milk is optional. Add based on the consistency you need.
U can also add coconut milk instead of milk at the end before switching off the flame.
Addition of roasted coconut bits is optional. I followed Kerala style pradhaman for this step.