Avalakki Payasa

Here is one more delicious dish from South India made during festivals. Its a payasa made with avalakki/beaten rice, milk and sugar. Its my Mother-in-law’s dish, she makes it during most of the festivals. This payasa is also good to eat during fasting.

This dish is usually made during Krishna Janamastami, as an offering for Lord Krishna. The reason to make it during this festival is because of the popular story of Krishna and Sudama. Sudamas small gift of Avalakki was priceless in the eyes of Krishna. This not only shows the deep friendship between them but also tells us that all are equal in the eyes of the Lord and He does not differentiate between people. Food for thought – We should learn to treat everyone with respect and dignity, as each one is a unique creation of the Lord. 

Ingredients

• 1/4th Cup Avalakki/Poha/Beaten Rice
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/2 Tsp Ghee
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• Cashew for Garnish

Method :

• Heat a pan on medium flame, add ghee and cashew nuts, fry until golden brown. Remove them to  a bowl and keep it aside for later use.
• Now to the same ghee, add avalakki/poha. Fry until it turns brown in color (don’t forget to keep stirring it until done).
• Take milk in a heavy bottom pan and boil it on a medium flame until it reduce to 3/4th of its quantity.
• Add fried avalakki/poha to the milk and continue boiling until it thickens, may be around 15mins.
• Now add sugar, mix well and let it boil until you get desired consistency.
• Switch off the flame, garnish with fried cashews and its ready to serve.

Note :

• Don’t over boil it, as it gets too thick when it cools down.