Aval Paayasam / Poha Kheer - TAMIL NEW YEAR Special

Aval Paayasam / Poha Kheer - No Added Sugar

I Wish all my friends very Happy Tamil New Year 2018. This aval paayasam is this new year's special in our house.

How many ever dishes we make, there is nothing better than a sweet payasam for a special day. That too on auspicious days like new years or Pongal festival or in that case any south Indian festival.. the payasam completes it. 

Payasam is such a versatile dessert which you can try with many different ingredients, sweetening agents, flavouring agents, and end up in an amazing simple traditional dessert.

For more festival recipes click - Festival Delicacies.

This is one such payasam which i made with poha or aval or flattened rice. I used the simple white thick aval.

I was always guilty about using sugar for payasam. I mostly add jaggery to my payasams. but this time, I wanted to try this payasam with dates as sweetening agent. Its a healthier version too.

Now, lets go to this simple aval payasam with dates for sweetness. 

Ingredients:

• Aval/poha/flattened rice - 1/2 cup
• Milk - 500 ml
• Ghee - 2 tablespoon
• Dates (good soft ones) - 1/2 to 3/4 cups
• Cardamom powder - from 3 pods
• Cashew and raisins - 2 tablespoon

Procedure:

• Boil milk and soak the dates in half a cup of hot milk. 
• Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan and roast the aval till it puffs up a little. 
• Add more ghee and roast the cashews and raising and keep aside.
• Now pour the boiled milk very carefully (as hot milk while poured in hot pan will splash out) to the roasted aval. 
• Stir and let it cook in low heat till the aval turns soft. 
• Simultaneously make the paste of the dates soaked in hot milk. Make sure it is an even and smooth paste.
• Trasfer this to the boiling milk with aval.
• Once everything comes together, add the cardamom powder and cashes/raisins.
• That's all.. our simple aval payasam is ready to be relished on a special day like our Tamil new year. Share it with your friends or neighbours to make it more special.

You can add regular sugar/jaggery if you find this dates' sweetness is not enough for your sweet tooth. 

Happy cooking !!