Arisi Thengai Payasam

The Tamil month of Aadi sets the beginning of various festivals in Tamil Nadu. It is customary in our house to celebrate every Aadi velli ( Aadi Friday) very religiously. The smell of agarbathi with flowers and boiling sambar along with a background of devotional songs is what I have grown up watching. My mom makes sakkarai Pongal or any payasam every Aadi Friday for the neivedhyam.  I follow the same tradition of making any sweet on all of the Aadi Friday.  One such traditional payasam is the Arisi Thengai Payasam, where soaked rice is grounded along with fresh coconut and sweetened with jaggery. The payasam is very light, yet tasty. do try this traditional payasam for one of the Aadi velli and enjoy it with your family. Let the Ambal bless everyone and help the world to come out of these tough times.
Servings: 6 yield(s)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp Raw Rice
  • 0.5 cup Grated Fresh coconut
  • 1.5 cup Water
  • 0.25 cup Jaggery Powder
  • 2 stick Cardamom / Elaichi
  • 1 tsp Cashews
Instructions
  1. Wash and soak raw rice in water for about 15 mins. Meanwhile, measure up half a cup of grated coconut in a mixer.
  2. Drain water from the rice and add grated coconut, cardamom pods to a mixer. Grind it to a fine paste.
  3. Add 1.5 cups of water to the rice-coconut paste and transfer it to a vessel. Switch on the stove and set it on a medium flame. Keep mixing the coconut paste slowly. This should take about 10 mins for it to cook and form a thick consistency.
  4. Add Jaggery powder to this coconut mix and mix together. Let the stove be in medium flame still. The Jaggery will melt and begin to cook along with the coconut paste to reach a payasam consistency.
  5. Roast the cashews with a teaspoon of ghee and add to this Arisi Thengai Payasam. Switch off the stove and serve this as neivedhyam.
Recipe Notes

  • Use only fresh coconut for this payasam. In case, you are using frozen coconut, make sure to thaw it, and then grind it.
  • If you like the smell of edible camphor, you can add a pinch of it. However, I did not add it.
  • Make sure to cook the payasam in medium flame, so there is no burning at the bottom of the vessel.