Palada Payasam

Payasam is the south Indian name for kheer and is the most traditional desert. There can be several variations in payasams and Palada is one of the classic milk based payasams that wins over taste buds by its simplicity.

Ingredients
Milk: 3 cups
Sugar: 2-3 cup (if condensed milk is not used)
Condensed milk: 1 can
Water: 1 cup
Ada: 1 cup
Ghee: 1-2 teaspoon
Raisins: 1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts: 1 tablespoon
Cardamom pods (powdered): 1 teaspoon

*These days there are variety of Adas available in the market made of either rice flour or maida. We have used a mix of both.
* To makethe ada finer which is easy to cook , you can just dry run in the mixie to crush the ada a lil bit before you boil it.
Boil milk and keep stirring it continuously. If you are using condensed milk, add it to boiled milk and keep stirring it. Meanwhile boil the water and add Ada to it. Once the Ada gets soft, take it off from heat and run cold water through it. Drain it and add it to the boiling milk. Adjust the sugar to your liking. Sprinkle the cardamom powder. Fry the raisins and cashew nuts until golden in the ghee and add to the milk. The payasam is ready and it tastes better the next day when served chilled.