Yummy and sweet Palada Payasam

Palada is a sweet and delicious payasam recipe popular in Kerala.

Palada payasam is mostly prepared during festive seasons like Onam and other special occasions like marriages. Rice ada, milk, ghee and sugar are the ingredients used in this recipe. The presence of cardamom powder gives a delicious flavour and a natural aroma. The addition of fried raisins and cashew nuts adds to the taste. Rice ada used in this recipe can be bought from the stores or it can be prepared at home. Have a look at the ingredients needed and the method of preparation of this dish.

Ingredients for making rice ada

• 1 cup of raw rice
• 2 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 teaspoon of melted ghee
• Medium hot water

Method of preparation of rice ada

• Soak 1 cup of raw rice in the water for 1 hour. Strain the rice and dry it in a piece of cloth for about 2 hours.
• Grind the rice to a fine powder and sieve it through a fine sieve.
• Add 2 teaspoon of melted ghee, 2 teaspoon of sugar and medium hot water.
• Mix it to form a consistency of chapati batter.
• Take out a banana leaf and cut it into medium sized square pieces. Show these leaf pieces to the fire to make them flexible.
• Boil some water in a vessel.
• Take out lemon sized pieces from the thick batter and paste each piece on the back side of a leaf piece.
• Immediately drop these to the boiling water. Repeat the process till the whole of batter is finished.
• Cooked pieces would float to the water surface. (we can also prepare the ada through steaming)
• Remove the adas and wash it in water three or four times to remove the stickiness.
• Chop these ada to fine pieces.

Ingredients for making palada

• 1/3 cup rice ada
• 3 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom powder
• 2 tablespoon of cashew nuts
• 1½ tablespoon of raisins
• 2 teaspoon of ghee

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Method of preparation of palada

• If you have bought the rice ada from the store, add it to the boiled water. Remove the vessel from the heat, keep the ada in the water for 30 minutes. Then, take out the ada and rinse it in cold water for 2-3 times to remove the stickiness. Drain the water and keep it aside. (If you have prepared the rice ada in your home, this processes is not required)
• Heat some ghee in a deep frying pan. Add the cashew nuts and once it attains a light brown colour, remove from the heat and keep it aside.
• Now add the raisins to the pan, stir it for few seconds. Once it is fried, take out the raisins from the pan and keep it aside.
• Heat the milk, rice ada, sugar and the cardamom powder in a frying pan. Keep the flame in a medium level and heat contents to a boil.
• Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame to a low range and cook the mixture for about 10-15 minutes.
• Stir it, so that the milk will get thick and the palada will become soft.
• Taste the payasam for sugar, you can add the sugar as per the taste and stir the solution.
• Once it is ready take out from the flame and transfer it to a bowl.
• Garnish it with the roasted cashew nuts and raisins, serve it hot or chilled.