BHAGAVATHI SEVA PAAYASAM - KADUM PAAYASAM OR NEI PAAYASAM

INTRODUCTION Bhagavathi Sevai is the worship of Godess(Bhagavathi) performed by most Kerala Brahmins every year. During the Karkidaga Masam ( Aadi),it is performed in our house in Tripunithura as well,every year. Nei Payasam + Medu Vadai (or Ulundu Vadai) is the traditional neivedhyam to be prepared for Bhagavathi Sevai at home. Here’s the recipe for Nei Payasam

Ingredients : 1. Raw Rice - 1 glass/cup (approx 250gms) 2. Jaggery powdered or crushed - 1 ¼ to 1 ½ kg 3. Cardamom /Elaichi - 8-10 crushed 4. Ghee - 1 ½ glass/cup (around ½ kg approx) 5. Fresh Coconut - ½ (Oru Moodi), finely sliced( Tenga Keeru), sauteed in nei (ghee) to brown 6. Rice : Vellam = 1:4 or 1: 5 is a typical ratio Method of preparation : Cook rice as usual. Melt all the jaggery in a thick bottomed Uruli (Uruli is a thick vengala paathram), with little water just adequate to melt the jaggery into a syrup. Make sure there are no lumps. Now, add the cooked rice & keep stirring to mix rice well into the jaggery. Start adding ghee, little at a time, continue stirring. The syrup will get thicker, bubbles will start appearing on the surface & the ghee will start spouting back on the surface.. Add powdered cardamom, give a good stir. Garnish with fresh coconut sliced fine & saute till brown in ghee.Nei Payasam Prasadam is ready.