Arisi Thengai Payasam

Rice Coconut Payasam, or Arisi Thengai Payasam, is a creamy South Indian dessert with warm spices and tropical coconut. It balances jaggery sweetness with fragrant cardamom and a hint of ghee. Freshly ground rice and coconut give it a rustic, velvety texture. Ghee-fried cashews and raisins add crunch and bursts of caramel. Serve it hot or chilled for a comforting treat any time.

This creamy South Indian dessert starts by soaking rice for an hour, then rinsing and grinding it coarsely with fresh coconut gratings. Make a smooth jaggery syrup by heating jaggery with a little water and straining it. Simmer 4 cups of water, add the rice–coconut paste and cook until thick, then stir in the jaggery syrup and fragrant cardamom powder. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee, fold them in, turn off the heat, and finish with a splash of milk. Serve this rich, caramel-sweet payasam hot or chilled, for a comforting, coconutty treat with crunchy, buttery accents.

Arisi Thengai Payasam Recipe

Arisi Thengai Payasam

Recipe by S Kamala

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 Rice Coconut Payasam (Arisi Thengai Payasam) is a traditional payasam prepared with freshly grated coconut, rice and jaggery.

Course: SweetsCuisine: Indian, TamilDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• Raw Rice – 1/4 cup

• Jaggery Powdered – 1 to 1 and 1/2 cup

• Coconut gratings – 2 cups

• Cardamom Powder – ½ teaspoon

• Cashew Nuts – Few

• Raisins – few

• Ghee – 2 teaspoons

• Milk – 1 cup (Optional)

Directions

• Soak rice for 1 hour, then rinse and mix with coconut gratings. Grind to a coarse paste.
• Heat jaggery with 1/2 cup water until dissolved, then strain.
• Boil 4 cups water, reduce heat, and add rice paste, stirring until thick.
• Add jaggery water and cardamom powder, stirring well.
• Fry cashews and raisins in ghee, add to the mixture, and turn off the heat.
• Mix in milk, and serve the payasam either hot or chilled, as preferred.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Adding milk is optional. If adding, boil the milk and cool it and then add it to the payasam.
• Also instead of cashew and raisins, you can add coconut pieces. Cut a small piece of coconut into tiny bits, fry in a teaspoon of ghee and add it to the payasam.
• You can grate the coconut or cut it into small pieces and remove the brown portion of coconut pieces and use it.