Aadi thengai paal (Aadi paal recipe) also known as Arisi thengai paal payasam is prepared on Aadi pandigai in Tamil brahmin houses. It is a sweet drink prepared with simple ingredients like coconut milk, jaggery and rice flour. Aadi Pirappu festival / Aadi pandigai is observed on the first day of Tamil month Aadi (Aadi 1st) as per tamil panjangam. This year 2025, it falls on July 17th.

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Aadi is the beginning of festival months for Tamil people. So Aadi pandigai is one of the famous festivals celebrated in Tamil nadu. In this month we celebrate Aadi velli, Aadi sevvai, Aadi kirthigai, Aadi amavasai, Aadi pooram and the most important Aadi perukku/Aadi 18 festival. In Salem – Tamilnadu, we welcome Aadi by roasting coconut filled with jaggery and sesame mix in direct fire. We call it as “Thengai sudum pandigai”. My mom follows this practice till today whereas my MIL makes either sweet pongal or payasam along with medhu vadai.

There are many reasons to celebrate the beginning of Aadi both scientifically & traditionally. In this month, newly married couple is invited to the girl’s house and the couple is gifted with new clothes and other presents with grand Aadi festival lunch. I heard Tamil Brahmins make this rich thengai paal in festival lunch menu for their son-in-laws.

When I read this, I found it interesting and wanted to give a try. As Sendhil loves coconut milk based dishes, he enjoyed it a lot. Its a very simple but very rich payasam kind of dessert. It tastes like sweetened coconut milk we make for aapam. Do try this Aadi paal recipe with jaggery, offer to God and welcome Aadi – the festival month of Tamil nadu.

Please note the color of this payasam may vary based on the quantity & color of jaggery. This year I used dark colored jaggery and got the payasam dark in color. I have uploaded some old pictures below for your reference.

Check out Salem special Aadi thengai pandigai recipe here.

PLEASE CHECK THE VIDEO FOR AADI PAAL RECIPE HERE

aadi paal recipe with jaggery — This Aadi paal looks white because of the color of jaggery.

Aadi thengai paal recipe | Aadi Paal recipe

Chitra

Aadi paal recipe using coconut milk and jaggery is a traditional payasam recipe prepared in Tamil brahmin houses to treat newly wedded couple for Aadi 1 festival.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Course Festival recipes

Cuisine Tamil nadu

Servings people

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

1 cup Grated coconut (Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup, thin coconut milk – 1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 tbsp Raw rice OR Rice flour – 2 tsp
½ cup Grated jaggery
2 Cardamom
5 Cashews
2 tsp Ghee
⅓ cup Water
2 tbsp Chopped coconut bits
a pinch Salt optional

Instructions

Wash and soak raw rice in hot water for 30 minutes if using.
Grate 1 cup of coconut and set aside.
Grind it adding 1/2 cup of water, soaked rice or rice flour.
Grind smooth. Strain and take the first thick coconut milk. Set aside.
Grind the strained coconut again adding 1/2 cup of water.
Take the second milk which is thin coconut milk. Set aside.
Take powdered jaggery in a pan. Add 1/3 cup water and melt it.
Strain it and remove impurities. Boil it for few minutes.
Add second, thin coconut milk and boil for 2 to 3 minutes in medium flame.
Switch off the flame. Add the first coconut milk. Mix well.
Lastly add the cardamom powder, roasted cashews and coconut pieces.
Mix well and serve warm. Enjoy !

Video

Notes

Adjust the quantity of jaggery based on your taste.
U can replace rice with rice flour but you should mix it without any lumps. Basically rice or rice flour is used to give thickness to the dish.
U can add a pinch of saffron if you wish.
Color of this payasam may vary based on the color of jaggery.
Roasted coconut pieces can be added along with roasted cashews for more flavor.
Adding a pinch of salt helps to increase the sweetness but its optional.

Keyword aadi paal recipe, aadi paal recipe with coconut milk, aadi paal recipe with jaggery, Aadi pandigai, Aadi pandigai recipes, Aadi thengai paal recipe

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How to make Aadi Paal Recipe

Wash and soak raw rice for 15 to 30 minutes if using. I used rice flour. Grate coconut and take 1 cup. Grind it adding soaked rice or rice flour & 1 cup of warm water to take the first thick coconut milk / mudhal paal. Strain it and take the extract. Set aside.

Again add 1/2 cup of water, grind and take the second, thin coconut milk / rendaam paal. Set aside. Basically rice or rice flour is used to thicken this payasam.

Melt the grated jaggery in a bowl adding 1/3 cup of water. Once its melted, strain the syrup and again boil for few minutes in medium flame till its raw smell emanates.

Now add the second coconut milk and let it boil in medium flame for 3-4 minutes. It should not roll boil. Coconut milk should be heated till its raw smell goes off. Keep stirring every now and then. Switch off the flame.

Add the first, thick coconut milk. Mix well. Make sure the flame is switched off else Aadi paal may curdle. Lastly add cardamom powder. Roast cashews in ghee and add to the payasam. You can also add roasted coconut pieces.