Keer/Paayasam/Semya/Parvannam/Rice pudding:

Keer is a Traditional Indian sweet which we usually prepare during almost in all festivals and in many occasions. It is specially a very good recipe in offering prasad to the god in festive days.

Keer is rich in dry fruits (Almonds/cashews/raisins/pistachios) which are nutritious and are very healthy.

It can be prepared in different methods in different places, but the common and main ingredients for this recipe are milk, sugar and sago/sabudana/saggu biyyam. I knew the preparation of three kinds of keer which I learnt from my grand ma that I shall share with you.

One is prepared with vermicelli/semya and another with Rice.

1. Preparation of Rice Keer/paayasam/Rice pudding:

Before going to prepare the recipe wash the rice and sago, soak them in water in two different bowls for half an hour for easy cook.

According to your convenience prepare jaggery+sugar syrup.

Preparation of Sugar+Jaggery Syrup:

Add one cup of water to Jaggery(chopped) and sugar and then boil. sugar melts very fast but Jaggery melts slowly. Once they get melted, it forms a thick syrup by boiling. Lastly add Cardamom powder to it. Then the syrup is ready to use.

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1/4kg
• Milk – One litre
• sugar – one cup
• Jaggery+sugar – 1/2 kg (3/4+1/4)
• sago – 100gms
• Cardamom powder – one tbsp
• Ghee – 4 tbsp
• Nuts(Almonds/cashews/raisins/pistachios) for garnish

How to prepare Rice Keer:

1. Roast the nuts in the ghee and then taken into a bowl. Don’t use the same pan to boil the milk.
2. Boil the milk in a open clean container (deeper) and then add the soaked rice to it.
3. Cook the rice in the milk well in a simmer and then add the soaked sago into it.
4. Cook well untill the sago becomes transparent water bubbles appearance floats on the milk and need to check the rice gets cooked/not.
5. Switch off the stove and add the jaggery sugar syrup based on your sweetness taste.
6. For good odour and taste add three tbsp of Ghee into it and mix well.
7. Lastly garnish with the roasted nuts in the ghee.
8. Yummy hot keer is ready to taste.

You can enjoy this either hot or chilled. Don’t preserve this more than 2 days.

2. Preparation of Semya/Vermicelli Paayasam/Keer:

Ingredients:

• Milk – One Litre
• Semya – 150 gms
• Jaggery + sugar – 1/4 kg (3/4+1/4)
• sago – 100gms
• Cardamom powder – one tbsp
• Ghee – required to fry the nuts
• Nuts(Almonds/cashews/raisins/pistachios)
• Saffron – 1/4 tbsp

How to prepare Semya/Vermicelli Keer:

1. Roast the nuts in a ghee and then taken into a bowl.
2. Then add vermicelli and roast in a simmer and switch of the stove just it becomes into red colour
3. Boil the milk in a open clean container (deeper) and then add vermicelli to it.
4. cook the vermicelli in the milk well in a simmer and then add the soaked sago into it.
5. cook well untill the sago becomes transparent water bubbles appearance floats on the milk and need to check the vermicelli gets cooked/not.
6. switch off the stove and add the jaggery sugar syrup based on your sweetness taste.
7. For good odour and taste add three tbsp of Ghee into it and mix well.
8. lastly garnish with the roasted nuts and saffron.
9. Yummy hot keer is ready to taste.

• You can use only sugar while the jaggery not available. For this add one tbsp vanilla assence instead of cardamom powder.It tastes good. In some places they prepare keer in this way.
• Anyway consume it when it is hot. The recipe become tight on time duration.You can add some hot milk to loosen. Don’t preserve this not more than a day.

3. Preparation of Parvannam:

Ingredients:

• Rice –  1/4kg
• Milk – One litre
• sugar – one cup
• Jaggery – 1/2 kg (chopped)
• Cardamom powder – one tbsp
• Ghee – 5 tbsp
• Nuts(Almonds/cashews/raisins/pistachios) for garnish

How to prepare Parvannam:

Roast the nuts in the ghee and then taken into a bowl.

1. Boil the milk in a open clean container (deeper) and then add the soaked rice to it.
2. cook the rice in the milk well in a simmer.
3. Add the jaggery to it and let it be cook for few minutes.
4. Five tbsp of Ghee and cardamom powder into it and mix well.
5. lastly garnish with the roasted nuts.
6. Parvannam is ready to eat.

You can take it hot or cold one. Don’t preserve this more than 2days.