Welcome to the 63rd edition of Blogging Marathon where a group of 28 bloggers are going to take you on a Journey Through The Cuisines.If you are puzzled as to what we are up to this month, take a look at the intro post and you will understand what this is all about.
The first post for this edition is a sweet dish / a dessert. Any new beginning invariably starts with a sweet note our culture and this mega marathon is no exception.
A – Akki Kadalebele Payasa
Akki – Rice ; Kadalebele – Channa Dal ; Payasa – Kheer / dessert
While serving a traditional lunch, we start with a sweet / kheer. During functions, festivals or poojas, this dessert is often served. A simple dish that can be made in a few minutes is a favorite among many.
Mom makes this often but I have never attempted it at home.Then one fine day, I asked her the procedure and got down to prepare this dish. Lil Angel loved it and somehow Lil Dude is yet to develop a taste for such ‘watery’ desserts and I did not compel him to taste.
I used :
Akki / Rice – 3/4 cup
Kadalebele / Channa dal – 1/4 cup
Haalu / Milk- 2 cups or as needed
Bella / Jaggery. powdered – as needed
Thuppa / Ghee- 1 tablespoon
Roasted nuts to garnish – optional
Wash rice and dal and drain well. Heat ghee in a pan and add the rice and dal together. Saute till a nice aroma arises .Take care not to burn the mixture. Remove from pan and transfer onto a slightly big vessel.This step is optional but roasting the rice and lentil in ghee give the kheer a very good taste and aroma.
Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 7-8 hisses / 15 minutes, till the mixture is well cooked. If the mixture looks mushy and water, don’t worry, that’s how it is supposed to be. In my case, I misjudged the water quantity and added a little less, so though the rice and dal was cooked, it was not mushy so I churned it and added more hot water.
Once the pressure releases, transfer the mixture onto a pan and simmer.
After 5 minutes add milk and continue to simmer. Add powdered jaggery and mix well. Remove from heat after a couple of minutes. There is no need to overcook the mixture.
Serve warm/ chilled garnished with roasted nuts.
- I used organic jaggery so used it as such. If using regular jaggery, dissolve it in a little water, filter and then add to the pan.
- Raisins, cashews or other nuts are usually not added.I just added them for a visual effect.
- A pinch of cardamom powder can be added just before taking the pan off the heat.
- I kept aside a couple of tablespoons of the cooked mixture before mashing it and added it to the mixture at the end to get a textured effect. Usually, the kheer does not have separate grains of rice / dal.
- Adjust the quantity of milk based how thick / thin you prefer the kheer to be.
- Adding jaggery gives a nice flavor and color to the dessert.This is the sweetener that is used. In case you cannot find jaggery or don’t use it, sugar can used but it will definitely compromise the taste.
Other recipes from Karnataka beginning with A
Akki Shavige Uppitu – Seasoned rice noodles
Appe Huli – Raw Mango Rasam / soup
Avarekalu Thovvay -Seasoned Hyacinth bean dal
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63
This post also goes to the A-Z Challenge
Lovely start pj!! Payasam looks scrumptious
what a wonderful beginning to the mega marathon. I agree that any good thing has to begin with a sweet and this is so apt. Love the payasam 🙂 Looking forward to the rest of the series.
I love this payasam PJ and make it the same way too..so wonderful to know that you will be making karnataka cuisine..:)
I love kheers and have been wanting to make one from each region, so this one adds to my bookmarks…simple yet delicious.
Payasa neivedya sounds divine. Looking forward to your dishes, this marathon.
Wow, that is a nice start to BM PJ. The paayasa looks so divine..
Wow what a choice PJ some how I know you are going to do Karnataka. Love those beautiful cliks, and that that payasa reminds me sringeri annaprasada payasa too tempting. Looking forward to your next recipes this BM…
Am sure that am gonna learn many interesting dishes from u PJ. Karnataka cuisine is one of the best and love your choice. This payasa looks simply out of the world.
This is one series am so looking forward .. Great start with the payasam..takes me to the raayra gudi meal..
This is one series am so looking forward .. Great start with the payasam..takes me to the raayra gudi meal..
Delicious payasam PJ, love your presentation and clicks. Can't wait to see the rest of your dishes from Karnataka
sweet start is always good….karnataka is my home too in a way…due to my ancestral heritage…i hope to connect with your dishes more easily and find some lost recipes in return
payasa looks delicious and nice way to kick start the marathon.
What a traditional dish to start the marathon PJ. Payasam with rice and chana dal looks creamy & delicious. Looking forward to your Kannada recipes this month.
Very interesting choice to start the marathon.The riceand dal kheer looks very tasty.Looking forward to see your creations for the month.
Ugadi is next friday and this is a perfect recipe to start with. Wonderful. 🙂
Lovely start PJ and this is such a easy recipe. Looking forward to more recipes from Karnataka
What a sweet start to the marathon. Awesome recipe PJ!!
Love the payasa, PJ. Looking forward to all the dishes.
Looking forward to see the Kannada/madhwa recipes.Payasam looks so delicious and nice recipe to start the series.
This looks like the epitome of a delicious dessert. Love it!
starting with a sweet dish is definitealy appropriate
Lovely start with a sweet note. 🙂 The payasam looks absolutely delicious.
Love this payasa. Awesome start PJ