Paravannam / Pal Payasam / Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

This is the first recipe I made as a newly wed bride. All most all South Indian brides will be asked to make this. Paravannam is a sweet dish made for Pongal which is a harvest festival celebrated by South Indians in the month of January.

This sweet dish is also made for Ratha Saptami which is Sun God's birthday and also the first day of Spring. In India spring starts in February. We offer his favorite sweet dish to god and welcome spring.

There are two reasons why I made this today even though there is no festival today. My mom is staying with us in SA for few days and this is her's and my daughter's favorite sweet dish. I made it exactly like how my mom used to make this.

This is my 
100 th post...already.... hurray.......  

1/2 cup Rice

1 1/2 cup Milk

1 cup Water

1/2 cup Sugar

3-4 Cardamom / 2 pinches of Cardamom Powder

2 tablespoon Cashews

1-2 tablespoons of Raisins

1. Wash and clean rice and keep it aside. Boil a cup of milk and water in a heavy bottemed pan. Add rice to milk and mix it. Stir it every 3 minutes so that the bottom is not burnt.

2. Remove cardamom cover.Add a teaspoon of sugar to the cardamom seeds and press this with a roller pin to a fine powder.


3. When the rice is cooked and the milk is almost absorbed, add the remaining milk and mix it . Cook it again till the milk is absorbed.  Now add sugar and cardamom powder. Cook it till the sugar dilutes and whole thing comes close. 

4. In a small pan, heat ghee, fry cashews till light brown and then add raisins. Fry raisins for few seconds. When raisins puff up , add ghee with cashews and raisins to cooked rice and mix it.


5. Offer it to god and have a happy life ...