Pongal 2023: Make This Delicious Paal Payasam To Celebrate The Occasion

Pongal is one of the most important Hindu festivals of India. It is a four-day-long harvest festival and is celebrated with much fervour in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. This year, it will be celebrated on January 15, 2023. Pongal marks the beginning of Uttarayan (North) or the time when the sun begins its northward journey. On the first day of the festival, people wake up early in the morning, clean their homes and discard old things and burn them in a fire to celebrate new beginnings. And just like any other Indian festival, Pongal celebrations too are incomplete without delicious dessert. Here we bring you a paal payasam recipe that is ideal to celebrate the occasion. 

Also read: 15 Best South Indian Recipes | Easy South Indian Recipes

Payasam or kheer, is a traditional South Indian sweet pudding made using milk, grains, lentils and a sweetener like jaggery or sugar. From moong dal payasam to coconut payasam, you’ll find several variations of payasam. But here is a payasam recipe which is the simplest of them all. This paal payasam is rich, creamy and is enriched with the goodness of cashew nuts and raisins. It tastes best when served warm. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the recipe. 

Also read: Indian Cooking Tips: How To Make Arisi Tengaay Payasam – A South Indian Dessert Made Without A Drop Of Ghee

Paal Payasam Recipe: How To Make Paal Payasam 

To prepare this dessert, we first need to wash the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for half an hour. Once done, transfer the soaked rice to a pan and cook with milk on low flame. Add cardamom powder and sugar. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. 

In a separate pan, add ghee and cashew nuts. Roast them until they become slightly golden brown in colour. Add the raisins and saute for 1-2 minutes. Pour this over the rice mixture and serve warm! Garnish with sliced almonds and kesar strands. Paal payasam is ready! 

For the step-by-step recipe of Paal Payasam, click here.  

Make this delicious payasam at home and share your experience in the comments section below. Happy Pongal 2023!