Paal Payasam / Rice Kheer is a creamy, rich & delicious Indian dessert served on special occasions in most households. Made using milk & sugar as the main ingredients, this payasam uses cardamom & saffron for flavouring. Here, I am sharing an easy Instant Pot version which makes the job easier.
Paal Payasam
Paal Payasam is a Tamil Term for Rice Kheer. Here, Paal refers to milk and payasam refers to kheer or pudding. Payasam is the first sweet that comes to our mind on special occasions. It is easy, rich and delicious. No occasion, especially a wedding is complete without some delicious payasam. There are various types of payasam prepared in South India. Out of all those, paal payasam is the easiest one to prepare. Also, it is a very traditional recipe. To make it more easy and convenient, we are dumping it all in the Instant Pot. Nevertheless, the result is just fabulous.
Ingredients used
Most of the kheer recipes use similar ingredients. Paal Payasam requires the following ingredients.
Rice – Any Rice can be used. I have used Seeraga Samba Rice here.
Milk – Traditionally, full-fat milk is used in Kheer recipes. Feel free to use the milk of your choice.
Sugar – The only ingredient I have used for sweetening. Some people use condensed milk but I prefer just the sugar.
Ghee – To Roast the Nuts.
Nuts – Your choice of nuts to garnish.
Saffron & Cardamom Powder – For flavouring. The payasam has a yellow shade thanks to the generous use of saffron! If you omit saffron, The kheer would just be plain white but the taste would just be the same.
Why should you make Payasam in Instant Pot
No need to babysit or stir! We all know how much of stirring the stovetop version requires. So, this is definitely a game changer.
A perfect make ahead dessert!
Helps with a last minute dessert option.
Tastes just as good as the authentic, traditional stovetop version. Creamy & Rich!
Just dump and go! Saves so much of our time.
How I ended up with this Paal Payasam recipe
Well, on a special occasion this year, I wanted to prepare some nice dessert. After listing down everything from Tart to Mousse, I ended up making our good old Kheer. Sometimes, not a single fancy dessert can give the comfort of a traditional dessert. In my home, irrespective of the occasion, payasam is one thing that is always present. Now with the Instant Pot, this is my go-to dessert. The results are always consistent, rich & creamy. My version of payasam is mildly sweet, thick and creamy. Some people love having warm kheer. I love having it cold!
How to make Paal Payasam in Instant Pot
This delicious payasam is extremely easy to prepare by just adding all the ingredients to the instant pot and setting it on porridge mode. Creamy , rich kheer is ready in less than 30 minutes. You have to try this recipe to know how simple it is!
Wash & Soak rice for 15 mins. Add ghee to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Keep the Instant Pot on saute mode. Once ghee melts, add the nuts & raisins and roast till golden. Keep it aside. Now in the same pan, add washed, soaked and rinsed rice, milk, sugar & cardamom powder.
Add a generous pinch of saffron. Close the lid and keep the pressure valve in the Sealing position. Set the pot to Porridge Mode and set the timer to 12 minutes and let it release pressure naturally. Garnish with roasted nuts and serve warm or cold.
Tips & Suggestions
Paal Payasam thickens after cooling down or refrigerated. You can serve it cold or you can add warm milk to adjust the consistency while serving.
Add nuts of your choice to garnish. Raisins and saffron is optional.
Add condensed milk for a much thicker and richer Payasam.
Full fat milk is preferred. But low-fat milk, coconut milk can also be used in this recipe.
Rice can be roasted in ghee and then added to the payasam.
Do give this recipe a try. We don’t need a special occasion to make this delicacy. I am sure you will love how easy and delicious it is. Also try my Semiya Kesari recipe in the Instant Pot.
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Paal Payasam / Instant Pot Rice Kheer
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 cups Milk
- 1/4 cup Rice
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Ghee
- 2 tbsp Chopped Nuts and Raisins
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder
- Saffron a big pinch
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice for 15 mins.
- Keep the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot clean and ready. Press the saute button. Add ghee into the inner pot. Once hot add dry fruits like cashews and raisins and roast them in the ghee until they turn light golden brown in colour. Remove and keep aside.
- Once hot, add your choice of nuts and aslso some raisins and roast them until they turn light golden brown in color. Switch off, remove and keep aside.
- Drain the water from soaked rice. Add the rice to the inner pot. Add milk & sugar. Next, add cardamom powder.
- Add a big pinch of saffron. Close the lid and keep the pressure valve in the Sealing position.
- Set the pot to Porridge Mode and set the timer to 12 minutes and let it release pressure naturally. Garnish with roasted nuts and serve warm or cold.
Notes
- To make the payasam more flavourful, you could roast the rice in a tablespoon of ghee before adding the rest of the ingredients to it.
- Use raw rice or basmati rice in this recipe. I have used Seeraga Samba Rice.
- Using raisins and saffron is optional
- Full fat milk is best while making kheer.
- Using Raisins is optional. For nuts, I have used cashews and pistachio. Use nuts of your choice.
- Using condensed milk makes it creamier. If not, adjust sugar to suit your taste.
- Paal Payasam can be served cold or warm. Personally, I love it when the kheer is thick and chilled.
- Payasam gets thicker as it cools. You can add some warm milk to it before serving to make it thinner.