SEMIYA PAYASAM

Semiya payasam was always made with coconut milk in my house. It would have been famous as a vegan payasam now. But vegan wasn't a term well-known in those days. I was completely unaware that it could be made with cow's milk until I started staying in my college hostel. There, we used to have a monthly feast in the hostel mess, and the dessert was good old semiya payasam made with cow's milk. It took some" getting used to " to like and enjoy milk-based semiya payasam. This recipe has changed over the years. My mother-in-law added sago to hers, and I followed suit. 
 INGREDIENTS

1. 5 and 1/2 cups milk
2. 1 cup roasted semiya
3. 2 Tbsp sago(can substitute chia seeds) 
4. 3/4 to 1 cup sugar(or as per taste)
5. 3/4 tsp cardamom powder
6. a little less than 1/8 tsp of salt
7. 1 Tbsp. almond powder(optional)

METHOD

• Soak the sago in  1/2 cup of milk for at least 30  minutes or overnight. If soaking overnight, soak it in water. 
• Put the semiya, almond powder,  soaked sago, milk, sugar, and salt in a pan.
  
  
  
  

          

          

                                 

• Put the pan on medium-high heat. Semi-close with a lid. Do not close fully. Semi-closing the pan will prevent the payasam from rising and spilling over. Bring to a boil, stirring in between 2-minute pulses. It takes about 8 to bring to a boil. Watch closely; you would think it will take time to boil and do other things, and without knowing it, the milk will boil, rise over, and spill on your stove, making a mess. So be on close watch.
• When the milk starts to boil, the milk will rise up. Turn off the stove and stir till the risen milk settles down. Add cardamom powder and keep covered for at least 30 minutes. Taste and see and add sugar if required. If you can taste the sweetness but it's not coming up at the tip of your tongue, add more salt to bring out the sweetness.   

                                       

                                      

• Serve warm or cold.
  
  
  
  
  
  

NOTES

•  Adding sago and almond powder to the payasam helps condense the payasam. 
• Its nice to see the fine and glossy tapioca pearls in the payasam is nice.
• Sometimes, the payasam becomes a pudding-like consistency because it was on the stove too long. In that case, dilute it with hot milk or water until the desired consistency.
• I have yet to do this, but it was a good tip. Add a Tbsp or 2 of milk powder to thicken the payasam if you have it in your pantry. (read this in a book)
• Tried roasting the sago, but it disintegrated as soon as I added it to the milk. Also, it gave out a chlorine taste. For parippu payasam, there is no need to soak the sago, I just wash and use it right away, but I tried that in this payasam but the sago did not cook. So soaking the sago is necessary in this payasam.
• Ghee/Butter is not actually required. But accentuates the taste if added.