While searching for recipes for Gudi Padwa, I came across many sweets recipes. Most popular search result was “shrikhand recipes”. But I felt like trying something different and so I searched for “payasam recipes”. I found what I was looking for, a payasam or kheer recipe that I had not heard of before, “Pasta Payasam”. This recipe looked super interesting and just as important, simple-to-make. ;-) I made this payasam/kheer late afternoon on Gudi Padwa and posting the recipe after that would have been a rush job. So here’s my Gudi Padwa recipe two days later, but better late than never, right? :-)
So far whenever, I’ve made kheer for Devansh I have avoided using sugar. Heck, I even make caramel custard for him using jaggery. But this time I was in a dilemma, and couldn’t decide whether to use sugar or jaggery till the very end. In the end, I decided to go with sugar (organic of course), because I thought jaggery will mask saffron’s flavor. As a result, Devansh didn’t like the taste so much, he is used to the jaggery taste.
But the rest of the family liked the kheer, I mean how can you not like saffron-flavored kheer that’s got dry fruits in it? But kids, go figure!! I wasn’t sure if my mom would like it though, given that she’s not too crazy about pasta but she liked its kheer. Do give this pasta kheer recipe a try and let me know how you and your kids like it.
Kheer Recipe | Pasta Kheer | Pasta Payasam
Ingredients
- 1 cup pasta I used shell pasta made of wheat semolina
- 1 and half cup water
- 2 and half cups milk
- 3 tbsp sugar preferably organic
- 8-10 strands of saffron
- Approx 10 cashew nuts
- Approx 10 almonds
- Approx 10 pistachios
- 1 tsp homemade ghee clarified butter
Instructions
- Soak almonds in hot water for 10 minutes and then peel them.
- Cut cashew nuts and peeled almonds in small pieces, and grind them in a mixer to make a coarse powder.
- Keep saffron strands for soaking in some milk.
- Boil milk in a pan, reduce the flame, and add powdered dry fruits.
- Simmer the milk till it thickens, keep stirring intermittently.
- While the milk is simmering, boil water in another pan.
- Add ghee in the boiling water and add pasta to it.
- Cook the pasta in the boiling water on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Make sure that you keep stirring so that pasta doesn’t get stuck to the pan.
- Add thickened milk in the semi-cooked pasta and mix it well.
- Pour the milk with saffron strands in the kheer and mix well. (You can add cardamom powder to the kheer if you like. I plan to add next time I make this kheer/payasam.)
- After the pasta’s cooked properly, add sugar, mix well and turn off heat. Pasta should be cooked but firm, overcooked pasta won’t taste good. (Taste the kheer and see if you want to add more sugar. We were fine with 3 tbsp.)
- Garnish the kheer with sliced pistachios. (You can serve the kheer/payasam hot or cold. I liked it hot.)
