Bellam Paramannam | How to make Kheer with Jaggery | Jaggery Rice Payasam Recipe | How to make Paramannam (Paravannam) | Jaggery Rice Pudding

Happy Dusshera to all my lovely readers!!…Hope you are all enjoying this festive season with fun and fervour. No Indian festival or auspicious occasion is complete without a PAYASAM. Among the infinite variations to this dish, I’m here today to share Bellam Paramannam, a traditional sweet dish offered as Neivedyam to God. In Hindu culture, offering food to God before we savour is a ritual that is passed on from generations. This food that is offered as a token of gratitude is referred to as ‘Naivedyam‘.

I wonder if there can be a simpler yet tastier sweet  For people with a sweet tooth like me, this is such a treat to whip up not only for occasions but whenever I crave for it. Bellam Paramannam is a cardamom flavoured concoction of milk and rice, sweetened with jaggery and topped with cashews. If you don’t have jaggery or don’t like it, then simply use just sugar. But trust me, it tastes best with jaggery!! So, if you can get hands on some good jaggery available at any Indian or Asian grocery stores, don’t skip making this delicious creamy dessert.

Using sago (aka sabudana, saggubiyyum, javvarisi) is optional, but I think it gives a nice texture to the dish. But do not use a lot, as the Paramannam will become too sticky.

Bellam Paramannam translates to – Bellam means jaggery, Parama means significant or sacred and Annam means cooked rice. Today is Vijayadashami, an auspiscious day that marks the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura. The goddess fought with evil for ten days and nine nights. “Vijayadashami” is derived from the Sanskrit vijaya-dashami (victory on the dashami: the tenth day of the Hindu month). You can read more about the festival in my post on Semiya Saggubiyyum Payasam, which I shared last year for the same occasion. OMG time flies!!

Off to the recipe for Bellam Paramannam!!

Step-by-step process to prepare Bellam Paramannam:

Prep Work:

• Wash rice and sago together and set aside for 15 minutes. You can also soak in water to speed up the cooking process.

• Grate, chop or powder jaggery and set aside. You can use it directly if it doesn’t have any impurities. To be on a safer side, you can dissolve jaggery in half a cup of water, bring it to a boil, strain, cool down and use it.
• I’m using jaggery directly as this has no impurities. I have used it a couple of times in other dishes, it was clean.

Let’s see how to make Paramannam:

• Heat milk in a thick bottomed vessel or pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. 

NOTE: Keep stirring the milk in between, scraping the bottom. This is to make sure the milk solids do not settle at the bottom and get burnt, which gives a burnt taste to the paravannam or payasam.

• Now lower the heat and add the rice-sago mixture to the boiling milk.

• Cook until the rice is soft and the mixture looks thick. Turn off the heat.
• Add the jaggery powder or strained jaggery liquid along with sugar and mix well. Keep stirring till it mixes well.

NOTE: It is important to stir every now and then after adding rice, otherwise it will burn at the bottom and the rice will not cook evenly.

Frying Nuts:

• Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat and add cashew nuts. Fry for 1-2 minutes till the cashews turn light brown.
• Add raisins (optional) and stir for a few seconds and turn off the heat.

Serving:

• Add cardamom powder and half of the fried nuts along with the remaining ghee to Bellam Paramannam. Mix well.
• Now Bellam Paramannam is ready, transfer into a serving bowl. 

• Offer to the God as Neivedyam during any festival or garnish with nuts and enjoy it as a dessert.
• You can serve this dessert hot or cold.  

Print Recipe

Bellam Paramannam | How to make Kheer with Jaggery | Jaggery Rice Payasam

Bellam Paramannam is a cardamom flavoured concoction of milk & rice, sweetened with jaggery and topped with cashews.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Dessert / Sweet / Festival Sweet

Cuisine: Indian (South Indian)

Servings: 5 to 6

Author: Padma

Ingredients

• 1 litre whole milk
• 1/2 cup Raw rice, washed and drained
• 1/4 cup Sago, washed and drained
• 1/2 cup Jaggery, grated
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon green cardamom powder

To Fry Nuts:

• 1 Tbsp ghee, clarified butter for frying cashews & raisins
• 10 cashews
• 10 Raisins, optional

Instructions

• Heat milk in a pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
• Now lower the heat and add the rice and sago to the milk.
• Cook until the rice is soft and the mixture looks thick. Turn off the heat.
• Add the jaggery powder or strained jaggery liquid along with sugar and mix well.
• Frying Nuts: Heat ghee in a small pan over medium heat and add cashews and fry till light brown.
• Finally add cardamom powder and fried nuts to the Paramannam .
• Serve hot or cold.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Soaking rice longer in water will speed up the cooking process.
2. You can also use low fat milk, but it will not be that rich in taste. I usually use 1.5% milk and it does taste good.
3. Don’t boil pudding once jaggery is added otherwise there is a risk that the milk will get curdled.
4. Adding both jaggery and sugar for sweetness gives a better taste than just adding only one of them. Adjust sweetness to suit your taste.
5. It is advisable to dissolve jaggery in  water, bring it to a boil, strain, cool down and use it. This removes impurities.
6. Do not overcook the rice because later it will be soft enough by absorbing the milk.
7. Though I’m not a fan, using already cooked rice fastens the process of making Paramannam, but tastes slightly different. In this case, rice should not be cooked too much. One can use leftover rice too. But for neivedhyams, fresh batch of rice is prepared.
8. When you turn off the heat, it should be slightly milky. It will thicken up once it cools down.
9. Paramannam tastes awesome both hot and cold.
10. Save the left over pudding in the fridge and you can reheat the next day. If you feel it’s become too thick, add half a cup of boiled milk, mix it well and enjoy a second serving. 

With the ongoing festival season, I’m sure you are all on the lookout for sweets and snacks recipes to surprise your loved ones.

Do check out popular FESTIVAL RECIPES on the blog.

Also check out other collections from blog!!

1. DIWALI SWEET RECIPES
2. HOLI RECIPES
3. DIWALI SNACKS
4. 15 EASY DIWALI SWEETS
5. DIWALI FESTIVAL RECIPES

Many more to come!!…..STAY TUNED!!

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Happy Cooking 

Cheers!!

Padma.