Sabudhana payasam

This is another dessert. Its very common in Tamilnadu Iyer families to make payasam using sabudhana. First time I made this payasam without soaking sabudhana in water. It didn't came out well. Again I tried making this payasam after soaking sabudhana in water for 3 hours. Here is the receipe.

Ingredients :-

1. Sabudhana - 1 cup
2. Milk - 4 cups (preferably whole milk or 2% milk)
   
3. Sugar - 2 or 3 cups (acc to taste)
4. Cardamom powder - a pinch
5. Pacha karpooram - a pinch

First Soak sabudhana in water for 3 hours. After three hours wash it and pressure cook it with 2 cups of milk, upto 3 whistles. After opening the pressure cooker, add the remaining milk and turn the stove to low. Let it cook for another 15 mts. Stir it every two minutes make sure nothing it burnt:) Now add the sugar and let it cook for another 5 mts. Turn off the stove. Finally add cardamom powder and pacha karpooram to it and close the lid. After 5 mts. open the lid. Now payasam is ready to serve.

If you like to garnish it, fry few cashews and raisins in ghee, to golden brown and pour it on top of the payasam.

Semiya Paayasam

Here is another dessert... Semiya - Vermicelli, a kind of pasta from which we can make upma, payasam, vermicelli bagalabath etc. Here is the receipe for semiya payasam.

Ingredients:-

1. Semiya - 1 cup
2. Milk - 4 cups (whole milk or 2% milk)
   
3. Sugar - 3 cups (acc to taste)
   
4. Cardamom powder - 1 or a pinch
   
5. pachakarpooram - a pinch
6. Cashews - 6
7. ghee - 1 tsp

First take a pan, preheat a drop of ghee and fry the semiya(vermicelli) to golden brown. Keep it aside. Now take another pan, pour milk, if you want you can add a cup of water with milk and bring it to boil now add vermicelli to it and cook it in a slow flame for 7 mts. Now add sugar to it. Turn the stove to very low. Since the sugar will release some water, there is no need to add water or milk along with sugar. Stir it every two mts. Add the cardamom and pachakarpooram to it and turn off the stove when the vermicelli is fully cooked. Now payasam is readyIn the ghee pan, roast the cashews to golden brown. Add it to the payasam.

If needed, you can also add raisins, we have to roast it along with cashews and add it to the payasam. I personally feel, adding raisins to these type of payasam(where we add sugar) will disturb the taste of milk and sugar.

Eggplant Pitlai 2

This is another kind of pitlai in which we use garbanzo beans instead of groundnuts or peanuts. Here is the receipe..

Ingredients:-

1. Eggplant - 5 (cut it into cubes)
2. Garbanzo Beans - a small cup (or a handful)
3. Toor dhall - 1 cup
4. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
5. Fresh coconut - 2
6. Channa dhal - 1/2 tbsp
7. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Red chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
9. Asafoetida Powder - a pinch
10. Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
11. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
12. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
13. Salt to taste
    

For Seasoning:-

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Asafoetida powder - a pinch
5. Curry leaves - few
   

Soak the garbanzo beans for a minimum of 8 hours. Pressure Cook it and keep it aside. Also pressure cook toor dhall with a pinch of turmeric powder in it. Keep it aside. Take a small pan, pour a drop of oil, preheat it and fry coriander seeds, channa dhall, coconut, red chillies, asafoetida, to golden brown and let it cool. Grind it in to a fine paste.

Now take a wide pan, put the eggplants (brinjal) adding tamarind, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and a cup of water and let it cook for 6 mts. When it is half done add the cooked garbanzo beans to it and let it cook for another 3 mts. Now add the coconut paste to it and let it boil for another 2 mts. Now add the cooked toor dhall and let it cook for another3 mts. Pitlai is done.

Take a small pan, pre heat the oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida powder and fry it till golden brown and pour it into sambar. Try this and lemme know your comments.