Caramel Aval Payasam

 

This is my second day Navarathiri prasadham for the Goddess of our household. Caramel aval payasam as the name suggests made with caramel and beaten rice flakes or poha. I made pink palada payasam long ago which is similar to making caramel payasam thus, I decided to make the same with aval. It's not too sweet on the palate and yields a gorgeous rich caramel color. The trickiest part is to make sure the milk doesn't curdle. It can be done by turning off the heat while adding the milk to the caramel. Easy step but yet, tricky. I find it it's much safe to add milk to the caramel than carrying a hot pan of boiling sugar to the milk pot. Mishandling of caramel when it comes in contact will lead to third degree burn thus,please be extra careful. 

The payasam turns out really well and everyone enjoyed the delicious payasam. Loaded with ghee roasted cashews that enhance the taste of the sinful payasam and the aval gives the wonderful texture. Serve hot or warm and enjoy the rich flavor of caramel.

Ingredients 

1/2 cup aval/beaten rice flakes

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/3 cup water 

1/4 tsp cardamom powder 

2 tbsp ghee

5 tbsp granulated white sugar

10-12 cashews nuts,broken

Pinch of salt

Methods

In a pan, melt ghee over a medium flame and fry the cashews till golden. Keep aside.

In the same pan with remaining ghee,  roast the aval over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Careful not to burn. Keep aside. 

In a pan,  boil milk and keep aside. 

In a heavy bottomed pan over a low heat,  add sugar and simmer till the sugar completely dissolved and the colour change to dark golden resemble the colour of jaggery.

Immediately, off the heat and pour the boiled milk into the caramel.  Be careful as there will be some splattering will happen during the process.

On back the heat to medium and add the roasted aval. Stir and season with salt. 

Simmer the mixture for 7-9 minutes till the avalanche softened and the mixture slightly thickened. 

Off the heat and add the fried cashews.  

Serve hot or warm. 

Notes

• Do not stir the sugar while making caramel to avoid crystallization. 
• Be extra cautious in making caramel by, not to come in contact with the hot sugar as it will cause severe burn
• Always use wooden spoon while dealing with caramel as,  steel spoons will transform the heat.