Millet Payasam (Kheer)
A creamy, aromatic South Indian dessert where little millet is slow-cooked in milk until tender, sweetened with jaggery, and perfumed with cardamom and saffron. This millet payasam (kheer) is often served during festivals and temple prasadam, offering a healthier take on the classic rice kheer.
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium
Ingredients
- Little millet — 1/4 cup (45 g)
- Milk (full-fat) — 3 cups (720 ml)
- Jaggery, grated — 1/2 cup (100 g)
- Cardamom powder — 1/2 teaspoon
- Cashew halves — 8-10
- Raisins — 1 tablespoon
- Ghee — 1 tablespoon
- Saffron strands — 8-10 strands
Instructions
- 1
Wash the little millet in 2-3 changes of water and drain well.
- 2
Dry roast the millet in a pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until lightly fragrant. This step prevents the millet from becoming mushy in the milk.
- 3
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
- 4
Add the roasted little millet to the boiling milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-22 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the millet is very tender and the milk has thickened.
- 5
In a small pan, dissolve the jaggery in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Strain to remove any impurities. Add the jaggery syrup to the cooked millet-milk mixture and stir well. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- 6
In another small pan, heat ghee. Fry cashews until golden and raisins until puffed. Add saffron strands and let them bloom in the hot ghee for a few seconds.
- 7
Add the fried nuts, raisins, saffron along with the ghee, and cardamom powder to the payasam. Mix well.
- 8
Serve warm or chilled. The payasam will thicken as it cools -- add a splash of warm milk to thin it if needed before serving.
Tips
- •Dissolve jaggery separately and strain before adding to milk. Adding jaggery directly to hot milk can sometimes cause it to curdle.
- •Stir the milk frequently while the millet simmers. Millets tend to settle and stick to the bottom.
- •For a vegan version, replace milk with full-fat coconut milk. Coconut milk payasam is traditional in Kerala and works beautifully with little millet.