Receta Bellam Parmannam ( Jaggery and Rice Pudding)
Bellam Paramannam or Annam Payasam is a sweet dish which is prepared as an offering /Naivedyam to God in almost every home in Andhra. It is prepared on most special occasions and festivals. Bellam Paramannam can be served hot or cold as a dessert and is prepared with rice, milk and jaggery and garnished with raisins and cashew nuts.It tastes lip smacking !!!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Raw Rice washed and drained
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Jaggery (Gur) grated
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- Cashews
- Raisins
- Saffron Strands (Optional)
Procedure :- Wash and drain the rice and set aside.
In a deep and large vessel, bring milk and water to a boil.
Add the rice to the milk and lower the flame.
Cook until the rice is very soft and mixture looks thick. OR You can also pressure cook the rice for 4 whistles.
Turn off the flame.
Lightly mash the cooked rice and keep it aside.
Combine the grated jaggery and 1/2 cup water in a small pan or vessel and heat up on slow flame till jaggery melts.
Add the cardamom powder to the jaggery water and turn off the flame.Let it cool for 3-4 minutes.
Now add this jaggery syrup to the cooked rice and mix very well.
Melt ghee in a small pan. First fry the cashews and then raisins to golden color.
Pour this over the rice and jaggery mixture and combine well.
Serve warm or cold lip smacking Bellam Parmannam :-)
Tips:
1. Don't boil parmannam once jaggery is added otherwise there is a risk that the milk will get curdled.
2.Never add hot jaggery syrup to hot milk .The milk will curdle.
3. You can use whole 4 cups milk instead of water for richer Parmannam.
4. Save the left over Parmannam in the fridge and the next day reheat it with a cup of milk as it tends to thicken a bit and its ready to be devoured again.