Paramannam

Annam Payasam aka Paramannam (Food of the Gods) is prepared with raw rice, milk and jaggery or sugar. Rice is slowly simmered in milk and combined with jaggery, flavored with aromatic cardamom and garnished with toasted cashew nuts and raisins. Simple to prepare, comforting and delicious

.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw rice washed and drained

1/2 cup grated jaggery

1 cup water

1/2 lt low fat milk

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cardamom pwd

1 tbsp ghee

10-12 cashewnuts

1 tbsp raisins

1 Heat a pan, add a tbsp of ghee and toast the cashew nuts and raisins till golden brown. Remove from pan, keep aside.
2 Heat a vessel, add grated jaggery. Let the jaggery melt over slow flame till its sticky on touch. Don’t over cook it, it should basically completely melt. Strain the jaggery and cool.
3 In a separate vessel, bring milk and water to a boil. Lower heat and add the rice to the milk. Cook until the rice is soft and the mixture turns thick. Remove from heat and cool.
5 Once cool, add the jaggery syrup to the cooled cooked milk and combine well. Add the cardamom pwd, salt and toasted cashews and raisins. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled. It tastes good both warm and chilled.

Kitchen Notes – Do not add the jaggery syrup while the rice is being cooked. Ensure the flame is off and the cooked rice is slightly cool when adding the jaggery syrup. For a rich taste, use whole milk.