Thengai payasam | Coconut payasam

Happy New years day (Ugadi)!!!! We celebrate ugadi. So for this day my sil gave me a suggestion to do thengai payasam. I have seen in many blogs thengai paysam is prepared with jaggery. But in our house we used to add only sugar and sometimes with any food color. Any sweet prepared with coconut tastes good. This kheer tasted delicious with mild cardamon flavor.

Ingredients:

• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Raw rice - 4 tbsp
• Milk - 1/4 cup 
• Water - 2.5 cups
• Sugar - 1 and 1/4 cup
• Cardamon powder - 1 tsp
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Cashew - 5, broken into pieces

Method:

Soak the rice for an hour. Grate the coconut without the brown bottom layer. Grind the coconut and rice to a fine paste using water.

In a sauce pan combine the water and coconut paste and bring to boil. Make sure to stir frequently to avoid lumps and burning in the bottom. Let it boil till the rice is cooked(it thickens). Add milk and give a nice stir.

Stir sugar and combine well. Meanwhile heat a small pan with ghee and add  cashews and fry till golden brown. Transfer to the coconut payasam and add cardamon powder. Stir well.

Enjoy hot or cold!!!!

Note:

• I separated the coconut first and peeled the bottom layer with knife and grinded in the blender for pure white grated coconut.