Festivals and special occasions always call for a dessert, and this easy-to-make rava payasam is perfect during festivals, special occasions or as a dessert for a traditional South Indian meal. Now that Navratri and Deepavali festivals are all lining up, this rava payasam will come in handy for the sweet offering, and it’s a great crowd-pleaser recipe, too. You can also enjoy this South Indian delicacy whenever you crave a sweet treat!
Ingredients required
We only need a handful of ingredients to make this kheer or payasam, as we say in Tamil, and here they are, Rava or sooji: We need fine rava, semolina, or sooji for this kheer. You can either use roasted or unroasted. Water, preferably hot: We need water to cook the rava, and I have used hot water to speed up the cooking process. Milk: I have used reduced-fat milk (2%) for this kheer. You can also use whole milk or plant-based milk. Sugar: To sweeten the kheer, we need sugar, and I have used raw sugar and didn’t add any other sweeteners or sweet condensed milk. Saffron and cardamom: To flavor up the kheer, I have used both saffron and cardamom, the classic Indian dessert flavoring agents. Ghee: We need minimal ghee to roast the rava and cashews. Cashews: We add roasted cashews to garnish the kheer. You can use other nuts, too.
How to make rava payasam
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai and add a tsp of ghee. Allow the ghee to melt over medium-low heat.
Add the semolina (rava) to the pan and roast it in ghee until golden brown. Keep stirring continuously to ensure even roasting. Be careful not to burn it. If you are using roasted semolina, you can skip this step.
Now add 1.5 cups of hot water to the roasted rava. Be careful while adding the water, as it may splash a bit. Mix well. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.
Cover and cook till the rava is soft.
Add sugar, crushed cardamom, and saffron strands, and let the sugar melt.
The rava mixture will thin down a bit, and that’s normal.
When the sugar dissolves, add the milk and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat until the payasam reaches your desired consistency.
Heat a little ghee in a separate pan and fry the cashews until golden brown. Add them to the payasam and stir.
Your Rava Payasam is ready to serve. You can garnish it with more saffron strands if desired.Serve hot or cold, depending on your preference.
Recipe Notes
Cook the payasam on medium-low heat, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Adjust the sugar to your liking, and you can also reduce the sugar amount and add sweet condensed milk. Adding hot water speeds up the cooking process, and that’s optional.Skip the nuts to make it nut-free, kheer.
Storing suggestions
Enjoy the kheer fresh, but you can also store the leftovers. So far, I have stored this payasam in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Before serving, reheat the required amount for 30 to 45 seconds in the microwave.
How to make this kheer vegan?
You can use plant-based milk to make this vegan. I have tried this same kheer with almond milk, and I have shared the recipe on my Instagram as well. Oat milk works well, too. Roast the rava in vegan ghee or neutral oil and skip the nuts to make this kheer vegan and nut-free. PS: If you try this rava payasam, please remember to comment and rate this recipe. Please comment if you have any questions, and I will get to it ASAP. Follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.
📖 Recipe
