Photo: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kerala · Dessert

Ari Payasam

Traditional 47. Ari Payasam recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 90g (½ cup) Kerala raw rice (unakalari / raw short-grain red rice), washed
• 480ml water (for pressure cooking)
• 225g (1 cup) dark jaggery, powdered
• 120ml water (for jaggery syrup)
• 80g (¾ cup) freshly grated coconut
• 60ml (¼ cup) ghee
• ½ tsp dry ginger powder
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 pinch edible camphor (pacha karpooram) — optional, traditional
• 1 pinch salt
• 30g cashews
• 30g coconut pieces (thengakothu), for garnish

👩‍🍳 How to make Ari Payasam

1. Prepare jaggery syrup (5 mins, medium heat): Dissolve jaggery in 120ml water over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stir until fully dissolved, then strain through a fine sieve.
2. Combine rice and jaggery (5 mins, medium heat): Add strained jaggery syrup to the cooked rice and place on medium heat. Stir well. Add grated coconut and mix through. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
3. Add ghee gradually (8 mins, low heat): Add ghee in 3 additions of about 1 tbsp each, at 2-minute intervals, stirring between each addition until absorbed. The payasam will turn glossy and creamy. The mixture is ready when it thickens to a pourable consistency that coats the spoon and a finger drawn across the coated spoon leaves a clear line.
4. Season (2 mins off heat): Remove from heat. Stir in dry ginger powder, cardamom powder, and edible camphor if using. The camphor adds a faintly ethereal fragrance traditional in temple-style prasadam preparations.
5. Garnish (4 mins, medium heat): In a small pan, heat a knob of ghee and fry cashews until deep gold. Add coconut pieces and fry until lightly browned. Fold into the hot payasam and serve warm.

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