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Rice ada is roasted and boiled in milk, sugar and flavored with cardamom. Rice ada looks like small pasta chunks and made of rice flour. Palada payasam can be otherwise called Indian pasta pudding.
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3.15 from 7 votes

Kerala Style Palada Payasam

Rice ada is roasted and boiled in milk, sugar and flavored with cardamom. Rice ada looks like small pasta chunks and made of rice flour.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian, kerala
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 432kcal
Author: Jane Jojo

Equipment

  • pressure cooker / instant pot

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice ada
  • 6 cup milk
  • ¾ cup sugar (to your taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1 tablespoon ghee

Garnish

  • 2 tablespoon cashewnut
  • 2 tablespoon raisin
  • 1 tablespoon ghee

Instructions

Soak Ada

  • Wash and drain the rice ada. Place it in a bowl, cover with hot boiling water, and leave for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.

Roast Ada

  • Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the soaked ada and roast on medium flame for about 7 minutes, stirring continuously. Switch off and set aside.

Boil milk base

  • Add 6 cups of full-fat milk and ¾ cup of sugar into the Instant Pot. Set to SAUTE (MORE) and bring to a rolling boil.
  • Cook ada
  • Stir in the roasted ada. Close the lid, set the valve to SEAL, and cook on MANUAL LOW PRESSURE for 2 minutes.
  • Release and thicken
  • Allow a NATURAL RELEASE (~20 mins) or a QUICK RELEASE after 10 mins. Switch to SAUTE (NORMAL), adjust sugar if needed, and simmer until the payasam thickens to the desired consist

Garnish

  • In the same pan used for roasting ada, heat 1 tablespoon ghee. Fry cashews until golden, then add raisins until they puff. Pour this over the payasam, mix gently, and serve warm or chilled.

Notes

  1. Use full-fat milk: Gives the richest texture and helps develop the natural pink colour when slow-cooked.
  2. Roast ada in ghee: Drain the soaked ada and roast in 1 tablespoon ghee for 7 minutes on medium flame. This prevents sticking and adds flavour.
  3. Add sugar later: Adding sugar after the milk reduces slightly improves caramelisation and gives a deeper pink shade.
  4. Add a pinch of salt: Balances sweetness and enhances overall flavour.
  5. Consistency check: For thicker payasam, cook longer until the ada floats on top. For a thinner version, add a splash of hot milk before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 309g | Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 466mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 312mg | Iron: 1mg