Kerala Payasam Recipe

Unakkalari Rice Payasam is a delicious rice milk kheer made using a special Kerala raw rice variety called Unakkalari rice. This payasam is popularly known as Kerala Payasam which tastes so delicious. Learn to make Kerala Payasam the easy way with step by step pictures and video.

Kerala Payasam is just like our usual paal payasam but made with unakkalari rice that is kerala raw rice. My friend gave me the recipe and I wanted to try because as a family we all are fond of milk kheer.

Jump to:

• About Kerala Payasam
• Unakkalari Payasam Ingredients
• How to make Unakkalari Kerala Payasam Step by Step
• Expert Tips
• Serving & Storage
• FAQS
• 📖 Recipe Card

About Kerala Payasam

Unakkalari Payasam or Kerala Payasam as it is popularly known is made using a special variety of Kerala raw rice called 'Unakkalari' along milk and sugar. The specialty of this payasam is that it is served without any garnish just like paal payasam.

You can add ghee fried cashews if you want but it tastes good as such itself. It has the full flavor of milk and rice. Unakkalari rice when cooked in milk gives a nice flavor to the payasam that there is no need for any other rich ingredients.

The traditional method involves hours of cooking rice and milk in a heavy bottomed pan. But the easy and quick way is to use pressure cooker for simmering which gives it the creamy consistency.The payasam gets a beautiful pink hue from the unakkalari rice.

I got this Unakkalari rice from a nearby supermarket. You get the whole variety variety too, you can pulse it mixer. I bought the broken variety as it was available and saves time.

Similar Recipes

• Rice Kheer
• Paal Payasam
• Palada Payasam
• Matta Rice Payasam

Unakkalari Payasam Ingredients

• Unakkalari rice - Unakkalari is a special variety of Kerala raw rice. You can use the broken variety or the whole ones. If using the whole ones then pulse it in mixer and break it.
• Milk - Use full cream milk for best results.
• Sugar - I have used regular white sugar you can even use cane sugar or jaggery syrup.
• Cardamom powder - Cardamom powder adds flavor to the payasam.

How to make Unakkalari Kerala Payasam Step by Step

1.This is unakkalari broken rice which has spots here and there.

2.Measure ½ cup unakkalari rice.

3.Rinse it well until water is clear.

4.Add it to pressure cooker.

5.Add 2 cups milk. I used boiled milk.

6.Add ½ cup water.

7.Add ¾ cup sugar to it. Give a quick mix and keep the pressure cooker in medium flame and cook for 1 whistle.

8.Let pressure release naturally. Open and give a quick mix.

9.Add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

10.Add remaining 2 cups milk to it and simmer for at least 15 minutes.

11.Cook till the payasam thickens and creamy.The payasam gets a beautiful pink hue.

12.Switch off unakkalari rice kerala payasam is ready!

Serve Kerala Paal Payasam hot / cold.

Expert Tips

• The payasam will thicken after it cools down so switch off accordingly.
• If the payasam gets thick, you can dilute by adding little hot milk at the time of serving.
• If you have tulsi leaves you can add two or three to give an extra flavor. I used full cream milk so added ½ cup water to cook the rice. Also if milk alone is added its better to keep the rice milk mixture in a vessel then place it inside the cooker so that milk doesn't ooze out.
• Make sure the milk rice mixture should be at the bottom or at least half of the cooker else it will overflow while pressure cooking.
• The more time you cook in low flame the payasam gets the flavour of rice and color.
• You can replace unakkalari with basmati rice or sona masoori rice but traditionally in Kerala they use unakkalari / rose matta rice for paal payasam. I got unakkalari broken rice so it got cooked easily. You can use either whole unakkalari rice or just coarse grind it to get it broken.
• Usually this payasam is just served without any garnish as my friend said so. So I just added a fried cashew just for photo sake otherwise we had it as such and it tasted delicious.

Serving & Storage

Enjoy Unakkalari Payasam as a dessert after meal hot or cold as per your preference. You can add ghee fried cashews and serve it too however it tastes delicious as it is just like paal payasam. It keeps well in fridge for 2 days.

FAQS

1.What other rice can I use?

You can use basmati rice broken or regular raw rice too but the taste will be just like milk kheer. The flavor of unakkalari rice is the specialty of this payasam.

2.What type of milk is best?

Full cream or farm fresh milk is best to use for this payasam as milk and rice are the main ingredients here.

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