I would like to share some of the kheer (or payasam) types that I think are (un)common. Since Rangoli-sans-dots is primarily on rangoli or kolam designs, recipes like kheer or payasam and rangoli are inseparable so far as festivals like Lakshmi Puja, Diwali and Sankranthi are concerned. They are also important for festivals like Varalakshmi Vratham, Ganesh Chathurthi, and Fridays ( especially for Sravan month Fridays or Sravana sukruvar and Tamil month Aadi - Aadi Velli as we call in Tamil ). So I thought that I should occasionally add some festival related recipes. The first one is called poori payasam or pappad kheer.
![pumpkin-paysam-step-1.jpg]( "photo showing pumpkin cut and cooked")
![pumpkin-payasam-step-2.jpg]( "In stage 2 pumpkin mashed")
![receipe-kheeer-or-payasam-2.jpg]( "pumpkin or parangi payasam")
Required ingredients
Now, heat milk on a stove, add this ground dhal+almonds to the milk, stir continuously to avoid formation of lumps. After five minutes (approx) add sugar, cardamom powder.
Cashews, pistachios, saffron can also be added after frying the nuts. However, I use a mixture of almonds, cashews, pistachios, ground coarsely that is added without frying.
Pumpkin (parangi) payasam for Fridays
Required ingredients
1. Ripe pumpkin - 250 gram
2. Milk -1/2 litre
3. Sugar -as desired
4. Cardamom
5. Cashew nuts
6. Raisins
7. Optional (almonds and saffron)
Cook the pumpkin pieces in a pressure cooker. Take them out, mash and keep separately. Boil the milk for 5 minutes and add cardamom powder and saffron (optional). Then add the mashed pumpkin to milk and stir for a few times. Add sugar as desired. Fry cashews,raisins and almonds (optional) in ghee (!) and add them to the kheer. The taste will be similar to badam kheer.
Your special kheer as shown in the photo above is ready to serve (and eat!)
![receipe-kheeror-payasam-3.jpg]( "kadalai paruppu payasam")
Place a kadai on a stove, take one cup ( 100 g) gram dhal, four or five almonds, add one teaspoon ghee and fry the till it becomes reddish brown in colour and allow it to cool. Soak in water for an hour. Then grind the dhal almond combination in a mixer with little water or milk to get liquid consistency.
Kadalai paruppu payasam
Now, heat milk on a stove, add this ground dhal+almonds to the milk, stir continuously to avoid formation of lumps. After five minutes (approx) add sugar, cardamom powder.
Cashews, pistachios, saffron can also be added after frying the nuts. However, I use a mixture of almonds, cashews, pistachios, ground coarsely that is added without frying.
Navratri kheer recipe - Badam kheer or almonds payasam
![almonds-payasam-recipe-2a.jpg]( "badam kheer or almonds kheer")
Badam kheer is not only an healthy option but also a mouth watering recipe particularly for those with a sweet tooth !
How to prepare
Soak around 20 almonds in water for an hour. This makes the skin separately easily . Grind the skin-peeled almonds in a mixer after adding little milk to get a semi-solid paste. Take milk in a vessel and boil it till it becomes dense like condensed milk. While boiling add saffron ( adding saffron ensures that we do not have to add artificial almond essence or almond colour powder as the saffron takes care of the colour and flavour ! ) Add the ground badam or almond paste to the boiling milk and stir the mixture ( with the knob of the stove in sim position ) continuously till the almonds get cooked completely. After the almonds get cooked completely ( smell of raw or uncooked almonds should disappear ) add sugar to our taste. Stir and boil again to ensure that any moisture due to the sugar evaporates and the viscosity of the kheer is maintained. Finally add elachi or cardamom powder. Take almonds cut them with a knife fry them in ghee and add to the kheer for better plating as shown in the photo.
How to prepare
Soak around 20 almonds in water for an hour. This makes the skin separately easily . Grind the skin-peeled almonds in a mixer after adding little milk to get a semi-solid paste. Take milk in a vessel and boil it till it becomes dense like condensed milk. While boiling add saffron ( adding saffron ensures that we do not have to add artificial almond essence or almond colour powder as the saffron takes care of the colour and flavour ! ) Add the ground badam or almond paste to the boiling milk and stir the mixture ( with the knob of the stove in sim position ) continuously till the almonds get cooked completely. After the almonds get cooked completely ( smell of raw or uncooked almonds should disappear ) add sugar to our taste. Stir and boil again to ensure that any moisture due to the sugar evaporates and the viscosity of the kheer is maintained. Finally add elachi or cardamom powder. Take almonds cut them with a knife fry them in ghee and add to the kheer for better plating as shown in the photo.
For kolam