It was raining for the past 2 days and I felt like making a sweet dish. Well, what better than a hot payasam our good old semiya payasam. Amma used to make this payasam as a treat for us kids. This is entirely cooked in a pressure cooker, no milkmaid used, just plain milk, sugar, semiya etc. The colour will be slightly pinkish and not white and that makes everyone asking whether there is milkmaid in it. The color and taste is almost familiar to the famous ambalapuzha palpayasam; which is made with rice, so you can also make it with a handful of payasam rice instead of the semiya and create the famous ambalapuzha palpayasam right in your home.
INGREDIENTS:
Milk: 1 ½ Litre.
Sugar: ¾ cup.
Semiya: ¾ cup.(Fry semia with 1 tsp ghee and keep aside).
Ghee: 1 tsp.
Cardamon, Cashewnuts, kismis: As needed.
METHOD:
1. Put milk and sugar in a presser cooker and put it on fire with the weight.
2. When steam is about to come put in on low flame for 30 to 40 minutes and then open the cooker only after another ½ hour.
3. After opening put in the fried semiya and let it simmer for sometime till it is cooked.
4. In another pan, put in the ghee, cardamon, cashews, and kismis and fry it and pour it over the payasam. Serve hot.
Note: Always take care to make this in big cooker otherwise milk will dribble out and it will make a mess. While making with rice put a handful of cleaned, washed, and drained rice along with the milk and sugar.