PAYASA- The First Food

In my culture, they say you should begin your meal with a sweet called 'PAYASA'. So let me start, what is hopefully going to be a very long journey through my recipes to fill your appetite and savor your food cravings. I shall try to bring in my innovative ideas along with the traditional exuberance of my mom's and grandmom's cooking. You can also be sure to see some of my travel-food experiences in my posts to follow.

SHAVIGE PAYASA

It is the most commonly made festive sweet, North Indians call it Kheer. It is a quick, easy and delicious sweet for any occasion. The best Shavige Payasa I have had is the one my granny used to make, with Vermicelli bought from a local manufacturer. It is relatively thin and is so tasty every single time she makes it. I however don't mind any store bought brand.

If you are wondering what Vermicelli is, it is a type of noodles thinner than Angel Hair noodles and can be used for both sweet and savory dishes. I shall add some savory Vermicelli dishes later, but now let us see how to prepare the sweet one, my way!

Make sure you have

• 1 cup Vermicelli
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/4 cup dry fruits (cashews, raisins, almonds)
• A pinch of saffron
• 1/4 tbsp of ground cardamom
• 3 tbsp of ghee 

The simplest version would only require Vermicelli, Sugar, Milk and Ghee. But the rest of the ingredients are the reason for the amazing flavor in Payasa.

Heat 1 tbsp Ghee in a saucepan and add Vermicelli in it. Fry till it is lightly golden brown. Beware that Vermicelli tends to change color pretty quick. So once you see a nice light golden brown add Milk and stir nicely. When the milk starts to boil, add Coconut milk, Condensed milk and a pinch of Saffron and give it a light stir. Keep the flame low and let it cook for 20 mins.

On the other stove, heat 2 tbsp Ghee in a very small frypan and add all the dry fruits. Soon after the dry fruits turn golden brown, turn the flame off. Keep slightly stirring the ingredients in the saucepan till the milk reduces to 1/4th its quantity. Reducing the milk and cooking Vermicelli all the while makes the mixture very rich and it gains a nice thick texture. Now time to add the dangerous ingredient, the Sugar! Mix it well and add the fried dry fruits to this.

Well here it is, your yummy mouth watering Shavige Payasa.

Try it and let me know!

Points to Note:

• When you boil Vermicelli with milk, milk tends to overflow, in which case you will need to reduce the flame and continuously stir.
• Sometimes people add any dry fruits available, but make a mental note not to add walnuts. I did this once and it gave a weird flavor to the Payasa. Something you would want to avoid.
• If you are not aware of Ghee, look for it in the 'Oil' section in any grocery store. Or else, heat butter till it melts completely and changes color. And you can only use unsalted butter.
• Some people don't bother adding condensed milk and coconut milk. But trust me, it adds such richness to the Payasa, that once you have tried it, you would not want to go back.

Good Luck Folks!