Semiya payasam

Semiya payasam

A simple and quick milky dessert.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1. Vermicelli or "semiya" - 1 cup
2. Full cream milk - 500ml
3. Sugar - 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons or to taste
4. Butter or "ghee" - 2 tablespoons
5. Green cardamoms (crushed) - 4
6. Cashew nuts (broken)- 1/4 cup
7. Raisins - 1/4 cup

Method

1. Roast the "semiya" in a little "ghee" till it becomes a golden brown.
2. Boil the milk with the roasted semia, sugar and cardamoms.
3. Stir and cook till the semia is done.
4. Heat the remaining "ghee" and fry the cashews and raisins separately.
5. Add these to the payasam. Stir well.
6. Serve hot or cold.

Tips

Half teaspoon of cardamom powder may be used instead of crushed cardamom.

Use good quality semiya like "Bambino". Do not use any very fine variety as this will dissolve and become a thick congealed mass. The strands of vermicelli need to be separate even after cooking.

You can add 1/4 cup of broken bits of white "peda" or any almond or cashew "barfi" to the payasam in step 3, to give it some more interest.

Cashews and/or almonds may be used. Decorate with fresh rose petals if you like.

Some brands like "Bambino" also sell roasted vermicelli, so one can skip step 1.