Palada Pradhaman | Palada Payasam Recipe | Onam Sadhya- Payasam Recipe

Palada Pradhaman

Rich and delicious dessert prepared using rice flakes,milk and sugar.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
Serves: 4 to 5
Ingredients:

1. Homemade ada,cut into very small pieces- 1 to 1.5 Cups( see notes)
2. Ghee - 3 tsp
3. Water - 4 cups( 1 ltr)
4. Milk - 4 cups( 1 ltr)
5. Sugar - 1cup( 200 gms or to taste)
6. Sugar,for caramel - 1 tbsp( optional)
7. Salt - 1 pinch

Instructions:

Heat ghee in a pan,add water and bring it to a boil.

Once it starts to boil,add milk .

Add 1/4 cup sugar and cook over medium heat,stirring continuously until it comes to a boil.

Reduce the flame to medium low and cook till the volume is reduced to half( i.e 1 Ltr) and slightly thick ,for about 45 minutes.Stir well in between to avoid burning.Next add homemade ada and mix well.(If you are using store bought ada,cook it until soft and wash using cold water to remove the stickiness,drain and add it to the reduced/thickened milk).Cook for about 10 to 15  minutes over medium low flame or until you see ada-flakes on the surface of the payasam.

Now add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and mix well.(Start with 1/2 cup sugar and add more according to your taste.).Cook for another 5 minutes or until the payasam turns slightly thick.Switch off the stove and transfer the payasam to a serving bowl after  about 10 minutes.

OPTIONAL STEPS-Traditionally ,while making palada pradhaman the quantity of water used is double the quantity of milk.i.e 2 Ltrs of water for 1 Ltr milk.The water ,milk( 2 Ltr water + 1Ltr milk) and 1/4 of the total sugar mixture is cooked until it is reduced to 30% of the  initial quantity .i.e approx 900ml.When the water evaporates completely the colour of the milk changes to a pale pink.This may take almost 3 to 4 hours.However here i have reduced the quantity of water to 1 Ltr in order to cut down the cooking time and hence ,i could get only a pale cream colour ,as you can see in the picture above.In order to obtain the desired pale pink colour, caramel syrup can be added to the payasam.However the following steps are completely optional.

In a pan,melt 1.5 to 2 tbsp sugar .Gently swirl the pan for even cooking.

Cook over medium low heat until it turns deep amber.( make sure you do not burn it,or else payasam will turn bitter)Next add 1/4 cup hot water and mix well until combined.Switch off the stove and allow it to cool completely.

Add this caramel syrup to the payasam,starting with 2 tablespoons and add more as required.Mix well until combined.

Here you can see the colour difference before and after adding the caramel sauce.

NOTES

• I used homemade ada for the pradhaman ,you can find the recipe here.
• If you are using store bought ada ,use about 100 gms.For best results, use rice ada. 
• Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.
• I feel adding caramel syrup gives a nice flavor to the payasam i.e almost similar to the authentic sadhya palada pradhaman.
  
  

How to make Ada for Ada Pradhaman / Paalada | Homemade Ada Recipe

Homemade Ada Recipe

Learn how to make Ada for Ada Pradhaman /palalda Pradhaman /Payasam.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 to 1.5 cups
Ingredients:

1. Unakkalari /Raw rice - 1/2 cup( see notes)
2. Ghee - 1 tsp
3. Sugar - 1 tsp
4. Water - to prepare batter
5. Banana leaves,cut into rectangles - as required

Instructions:

Wash and soak rice in plenty of water for about 1 hour.

Drain the water completely and spread the rice on a clean kitchen towel and allow it to dry for about 30 to 45 minutes.

 

Transfer it to a blender and grind to form a fine powder.

Sieve it to remove any leftover grains.Next add ghee and sugar to the rice flour.

Add sufficient water and mix well form a smooth batter ( like dosa batter).Meanwhile boil water in a large pot.

Take a piece of banana leaf and drizzle the batter over it.Roll it gently and tie with a string. 

 

Once the water comes to a rolling boil,add the rolled banana leaves and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Now remove the rolls from water .Peel the ada carefully.

Cut it into small squares and wash the ada if it is sticky.Soak ada in hot water until required.

NOTES

• You may  use pachari if unakkalri is not available.
• You can also use unroasted rice flour to prepare ada.In that case just add sugar ,ghee and water to the flour and mix to form the batter.
• For Ada Pradhaman ,cut the ada into slightly larger pieces.
• 

Healthy Oat and Date Laddu | Oat and Date balls | No Added Sugar

Oat and Date Laddu

Healthy Oat and Date balls( Vegan, No added Sugar)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Maked: 15 to 18 laddus
Ingredients:

1. Olive oil /coconut oil- 2 tsp
2. Oats- 1 cup
3. Pistachios - 1/4 cup
4. Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
5. Flax seeds - 2 to 3 tsp
6. Soft Dates - 20 to 24( or according to taste)

Instructions:

Heat  oil in  a pan,add oats,pistachios and cashew nuts.Fry for about 5 minutes over medium low flame.Allow it to cool slightly  and grind to form a coarse powder.

Add the oats and nuts powder to a mixing bowl.Add the pitted dates and flax seeds.

Mix well using your fingertips ,until combined.( use a food processor ,if desired.)Roll it into 1.5" balls.Store in an airtight container.

NOTES

• You can also use almonds ,walnuts or any other nuts of your choice.
•  Adjust the quantity of dates according to your taste.
• I halved the recipe as you can see in the pics.

Carrot Halwa | Gajar Halwa | Indian Sweet Recipes

Carrot Halwa

Popular Indian sweet/pudding made using grated carrots and milk.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 5 to 6
Ingredients:

1. Ghee - 3 to 4 tbsp
2. Grated carrots - 4 cups( 4 to 5 large carrots)
3. Milk- 4 cups
4. Sugar - 3/4 cup( or to taste)
5. Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
6. Cashew nuts- 15 to 18
7. Ghee- to fry cashew nuts

Instructions:

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan .

Add grated carrots and saute for 5 to 7 minutes.Next add milk and bring it to a boil.

Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes over low flame ,stirring well in between.Cook until the carrots are soft and the milk is evaporated.

Now add sugar and mix well.Cook until it turns thick for about 3 to 4 minutes,stirring well in between.Fry cashew nuts in ghee until it turns golden brown and add it to the halwa.Mix well and serve warm or chilled. and serve.

NOTES

• Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.
• You can also add one pinch saffron along with the milk for better flavor.
• I actually scaled down the recipe to 1/2,as you can see in the pics.
  

Kaju Katli | Kaju Barfi | Indian Sweet Recipes

Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli- Poular Indian sweet made using cashew nuts.(Gluten Free cashew nut fudge)-
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3
Recipe source: Vegrecipesofindia, you can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients:

1. Cashew nuts - 1 Cup( at room temperature)
2. Sugar - 1/2 Cup
3. Water - 5 tbsp
4. Ghee - 1 tbsp( for vegan version use coconut oil)
5. Saffron - 1 small pinch( or use 1 tsp rose petals)-this is optional

Instructions:

Grind cashew nuts to form a fine powder.( Be careful not to grind it too much,or you will end up with cashew nut butter).keep aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan,combine together sugar and water.Cook over low flame until sugar is completely dissolved.

Now add cashew nut powder and mix well.Cook over low flame,stirring continuously.

Cook the cashew nut mixture for about 7 to 9 minutes ,till the whole mixture comes together and turns more like a soft dough.Transfer the cashew nut mixture onto a plate.

Add ghee and  saffron /rose petals ( if using).When the heat of the mixture is fine to handle,knead the mixture lightly.( if the mixture is dry,you can add 1 or 2 tsp of milk).

Place the warm dough on a parchment paper or a greased plate. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top .Using a rolling pin,roll the dough to a thickness of  3 to 5 mm.

Cut into diamonds using a sharp knife.Allow it to cool completely.Store in an airtight container.

.NOTES

• Sieve the cashew nut powder to remove tiny bits ,if desired.
  

Banarasi Lassi | Sweet Lassi

Banarasi Lassi

Banaras style sweet lassi ,served with rabdi and malai.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: -
Serves: 2
Ingredients:

1. Thick yogurt- 2 cups(recipe below)
2. Sugar-1 to 2 tbsp( or according to taste)
3. Rabdi / Rabri- 2 tbsp
4. Almonds,sliced- 2 to 3 tsp(optional)
5. Saffron strands -to garnish( optional)

Instructions:

• In a bowl ,whisk ( using a whisk or  mathu-wooden whisk) together yogurt and sugar until combined.

• Pour this into serving bowls and add top with rabdi/rabri.Garnish with almonds and saffron strands.Serve immediately.

Ingredients to prepare yogurt:

1. Full fat milk- 2 cups
2. Yogurt ( with live culture)-1 to 2 tbsp
Instructions:

1. In a heavy bottomed pan,bring milk to a boil.Reduce flame to low and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes ,or until it turns slightly thick.Stir well in between to avoid burning.Allow it to cool until luke warm .Add yogurt and mix well.
   
2. Pour this into a jug /bowl and back to the first one.Repeat this few times so that the yogurt is mixed well with the milk.
   
3. Pour this into  shallow vessel /clay pot ,cover and keep aside in a warm place for about 5 to 8 hours or until set.
   

NOTES

• You can also add 1 or 2 tbsp of malai /cream to the lassi ,if desired.
• Garnish with 1 or 2 tsp finely chopped pistachios ,if desired.
• Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.