Sweet payasam prepared with cracked wheat/ godhumai, jaggery, milk and almond which gives rich flavour to this payasam.

Ingredients:

Serves 5 to 6 people

• 1/2 cup - Cracked wheat / godhumai
• 1/2 cup - Jaggery (powdered)
• 2 cups - Milk (i used 2 %)
• 10 nos - Almonds
• 10 nos - Cashew nuts
• 10 nos - Raisin
• 1/8 tsp - Cardamom powder or 2 nos - Cardamom
• 1 tbsp - Ghee

Preparation method:

1. Soak almonds in warm water for 30 mins. Remove almond skin and grind it along with 2 tbsp of warm milk to a fine puree. Set it aside.
2. Take a vessel, add powdered jaggery in a 1 1/4 cup of water and bring it to a boil, cook until jaggery dissolves completely. When it boils, remove from flame and strain to remove all the impurities. Allow them to cool and keep it aside.
3. Take a hard bottomed vessel, add milk and bring it to boil. Reduce the flame to low and allow them to cook until milk reduce to 11/2 cup or 3/4 in volume. Keep it aside.
4. Meanwhile heat ghee in a pan, roast cashew nuts and raisins until they are slightly golden brown in color. Set aside.
5. In the same pan roast cracked wheat / godhumai until it turns into slight golden brown. Then add 1 1/2 cup of water or add enough water to it and pressure cook for up to 3 whistles or until they are well cooked. Allow them to cool.
6. Take a vessel, add cooked cracked wheat, almond puree, boiled milk, cardamom powder, mix well and and bring it to boil. Cook until it reaches consistency of payasam.
7. Finally add jaggery syrup and roasted cashew nuts and raisins. Switch off the stove immediately and serve cold or hot.

Notes:

• After adding jaggery syrup immediately switch off the stove. Do not boil it again otherwise milk will get curdled.
• Payasam gets thick after sometime. To bring it to right consistency you can add enough warm milk or cold milk before serving.
• Adding almond puree is optional but it tastes good if you add it.
• To avoid curdling of milk, i keep jaggery syrup in refrigerator for a while and add it to the payasam.