Annada payasa- Rice kheer

Hello friends!!! Hope you are all having a great Dassehra. I know I am having a good one. So much so that, I have not been able to post anything for almost a week. This year Dassehra is a little more hectic than usual. Maybe because my little was a wee bit easy to handle last year ;)

Coming to this recipe, this is my all time favourite desserts. Did you know that the rice kheer or Annada payasa is also the favourite of the goddess? The scriptures say that, the Goddess Lalitha or Parvathi loves this kheer so much that she is also known as Paayasaanna Priya (One who loves rice kheer). So you see, this elegant dessert is truly the food of the Gods. Now having said so much, I thought it was only apt for me to make this as an offering to the Goddess during Dassehra

This creamy rice pudding is so enticing that it is a true delight to the senses. The heavenly dessert is truly versatile as well. Despite the key ingredients are rice and milk, it can either be flavoured with the traditional cardamom and saffron or with the more contemporary vanilla. Even tough the dish might taste different, it would still be as delicious as ever.

Annada payasa recipe:

Preparation time: 20min

Cooking time: Almost an hour

Makes- 6 cups

Ingredients:

Rice- 1 cup,

Milk- 8-10 cups

Ghee- 3tbsp

Sugar- 1-1/2 to 2 cups

Cardamom- 6, powdered in a mortar and pestle

Almonds- 10, chopped and powdered

Saffron- 1/4tsp, soaked in warm milk

Whole or skimmed milk powder- 5tbsp

Cashew nuts- 15, chopped into bite sized pieces

Raisins- 1/4 cup

Method:

• Wash the rice in enough water and drain.
• Heat a 1-1/2 tbsp of ghee in a pan and fry the rice on low flame till the rice turns light brown and fragrant
• Add half a cup of water and 1 cup of milk and cook till the rice is completely soft.
• Add the remaining milk, cardamom powder, soaked saffron and powdered almonds. Mix well and boil the mixture for a few min
• Add the milk powder and boil till the mixture achieves a creamy consistency.
• Take off the heat, add sugar and mix well.
• Heat the remaining ghee in a pan and add the chopped cashew-nuts and raisins.
• Fry for 2min till the cashew-nuts turn brown and the raisins bloat.
• Take off the heat and add the mixture to the cooked kheer and mix well.
• Serve warm or cold.

Notes: The milk powder can be substituted with cream or half and half or condensed milk

I am linking this Payasa to CWS- Rice Which was started by Priya's and hosted by Reva 

and Dr. Sameena Pratap's Diwali Sweets event