Payasams - Badam Kheer and Carrot Payasam

BADAM KHEER - ALMOND MILK

Badam Milk and Potato Buns are specialties of all the Iyengar Bakeries in town. It was the ultimate combo which people relished after office hours or after an evening show at the local theater. People even treated friends at the bakery to celebrate a promotion at their office or to announce the birth of a baby. This was old Mysore.

Even after the advent of Pizza Houses and Food Courts at malls, a treat of Badam Milk and Potato Buns at the Bakeries still has its own charm. Badam Milk has always been and is a 'hot' favourite of many connoisseurs. My husband always playfully refers to the delicious drink as 'Hot Badam Cold'!

INGREDIENTS

Milk - 1/2 lit

Almonds - 30

Sugar - 4 tbsps

Saffron strands - a few

cardamom - 2

Pacha karpoora - 1 pin head ( edible camphor)

METHOD

1. Soak almonds in boiling water for half an hour.

2. Remove the skin and grind the almonds with little milk into a slightly coarse paste.

3 .Boil the milk and stir in the almond paste and continue to boil for a few more minutes.

4. Add sugar and switch off flame.

5. Add saffron strands, powdered cardamom and pachekarpoora. 

Badam Kheer can be relished hot or cold.

CARROT PAYASAM

Payasam using various vegetables is in today. Carrot payasam is my family's favourite.

INGREDIENTS

Carrots - 2 big ones

Milk - 1/2 lit

Cashew nuts - 10

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Raw carrot gratings - 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts and raisins - a few

Ghee - 1 tbsp

METHOD

1. Scrape and slice the carrots.

2. Pressure cook carrot slices along with the mentioned 10 cashew nuts .

3. Grind the cooked carrot slices and cashew nuts with little milk into a fine paste.

4. Boil milk and add the carrot cashew paste.

5. Continue boiling for few more minutes.

6. Add sugar and switch off flame.

7. Add cardamom powder.

8. Heat ghee and fry cashew nuts into a golden colour .

9. Add raisins followed by carrot gratings.

10. When the raisins bloat and the carrot gratings are slightly fried add to the payasam. 

Relish carrot payasam while still hot.