Rice Payasam (Paramannam)
Updated: January 6, 2024, By Swasthi
Rice Payasam also known as Bellam Paramannam, Ksheerannam or Annam Payasam is traditional South Indian pudding made with rice, milk and jaggery. It is flavoured with ground cardamom and sweetened with jaggery. Rice Payasam is garnished with ghee fried cashews, raisins and sometimes sliced copra (dried coconut).
It is a festive dish and many South Indian festivals and religious ceremonies are incomplete without cooking & offering payasam to the deities.
This South Indian version of Rice Payasam is similar to the North Indian Kheer but sweetened with jaggery and a generous amount of ghee is used to impart a unique aroma.
Traditionally full fat cow milk, cow ghee and jaggery are used especially when offering to the Hindu deities during puja and homas/havan.
There are a few different versions of rice payasam. Some people use just the basic ingredients, while a different version uses a handful of moong dal along with rice. This kind of a payasam is also known as Bellam Pongali and is different from the Sweet Pongal.
A lot of people also make this for Sankranti, Lakshmi/ Durga puja & special occasions like house-warming ceremonies and festivals. Traditionally milk is left to overflow and then a handful of moong dal and rice is added.
In this post I have shared 2 different recipes for Rice Payasam – One is the basic paramannam and the second one is Bellam Pongali. I have the recipe card for the Bellam Pongali below, at the end of this post. I also have the instant pot version for the same.
For more Traditional Andhra festival recipes
Sunnundalu
Sagubiyyam payasam
Poornam boorelu
Garelu
Sesame Laddu
Photo Guide
How to Make Rice Payasam (Stepwise Photos)
Preparation
1. Wash half cup rice a few times. Soak it till the milk comes to a boil. Rinse a heavy bottom pot. Set the flame to medium. Pour 4 cups full fat milk and bring it to a gentle boil. Rinsing helps to prevent the milk solids sticking at the bottom.
2. Drain the water from rice and add it to the boiling milk.
3. Cook uncovered till it is soft and slightly mushy. While the rice is getting cooked, keep stirring every 4 to 5 minutes to prevent the payasam getting burnt at the bottom.
Make Jaggery Syrup
If your jaggery is clean and free from debris you can omit making syrup and just add the grated jaggery to the payasam towards the end. But this syrup method tastes more authentic and it smells extremely good.
4. Add ¾ to 1 cup jaggery (¾ cup for moderate sweetness) and half cup water to a pan and begin to heat it.
5. Boil it on a medium heat until it turns sticky. There is no string consistency needed but the syrup has to be slightly thick & sticky. Cool down a little syrup and test this. This enhances the taste of the rice payasam.
6. When it turns sticky, turn off the stove and set aside to cool completely. Avoid overcooking else your syrup will become too thick after cooling.
Make Rice Payasam
7. Keep checking the rice. It needs stirring often.
8. Check if the rice is soft cooked by mashing a few grains of rice. It must be soft and get mashed easily. Mash the rice with the ladle lightly. This helps to thicken the rice payasam.
9. Add half teaspoon fresh ground cardamom powder (4 cardamoms).
10. Make sure your rice and milk mixture is thick at this stage and the jaggery syrup is completely cool. Then turn off the stove and filter the syrup to the cooked rice. Note: Adding hot syrup to the milk, will curdle the payasam. I usually add only 80% of the prepared syrup at this stage and add the rest later if required.
11. Give a good mix. This is the right consistency and it will become thick after cooling.
12. Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a small pan.
13. Fry 10 cashews (20 split) until light golden. Then add 1 to 2 tbsps raisins. When they sweel up, turn off the stove.
14. I prefer to cool this a bit and add to the payasam.
If offering as naivedyam, cool the rice payasam completely and then offer.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Rice Payasam (Paramannam Recipe)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 4 cups whole milk (use cow milk if making for naivedyam)
- ½ cup rice
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (4 green cardamoms)
- ¾ to 1 cup jaggery or sugar or palm sugar (3/4 is moderately sweet)
- ½ cup water (to make syrup)
- 2 tablespoons Ghee (use cow ghee if making for naivedyam)
- 10 to 15 cashews (more if desired)
- 1 to 2 tablespoon sweet raisins
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash rice several times and soak it in enough water until milk comes to a boil.
- Pour milk to a rinsed heavy bottom pot. Bring it to a boil on a medium flame.
Make Jaggery Syrup
- Add grated jaggery to a pan along with water. Boil on a medium flame until slightly thick and sticky. It doesn't need a string consistency but has to be sticky.
- Keep this aside to cool completely.
How to Make Rice Payasam
- When the milk comes to a boil, drain the water from the rice and add it here.
- Cook until the rice grains are mushy and soft. Stir every 4 to 5 minutes during this process to avoid the milk solids from getting burnt at the bottom.
- When the rice is soft cooked, gently mash some of the rice grains to thicken the payasam. Turn off the heat when it reaches a slightly thick yet of pouring consistency, (Check video)
- Add cardamom powder. Filter the cooled jaggery syrup to the cooked rice. (If using clean jaggery you can add the gratings now. Stir well until dissolved.)
Fry nuts
- Heat ghee in another small pan. Fry cashews till light golden, stir in the raisins & fry until they puff. Pour this all over the rice payasam.
- Serve rice payasam warm or cold.
Notes
- Do not forget to cool the jaggery syrup before adding to the cooked rice and milk mixture. Adding hot jaggery syrup to the hot milk can split the payasam.
- You can omit the step of making jaggery syrup and add the grated jaggery directly to the cooked milk rice. But the flavor of payasam made with syrup is different.
- Payasam turns thick upon cooling so make sure you turn off when it is slightly runny.
Video
Watch Rice Payasam Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Recipe Card 2
Bellam Pongali (Naivedyam Payasam)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ¾ cup short rice
- ¼ cup moong dal
- 5 cups whole milk/full fat milk (4½ cups for IP)
- 1½ cups water (½ cup for IP)
- 300 to 350 grams (1¼ to 1½ cups) jaggery (grated or powdered, pls adjust to taste)
- ½ cup water (optional, to dissolve jaggery)
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (4 green cardamoms powdered)
- 3 tablespoons Ghee
- 15 cashews or as desired
- 10 raisins or as desired
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and soak rice and dal in enough water for at least 15 mins until the milk comes to a boil.
- Add jaggery and water to a pan. Bring it to a boil and simmer until bubbly and slightly thick, but of pouring consistency. Stir in the cardamom powder. Keep this aside to cool down completely. Leave out this step if you want and add the grated jaggery directly but jaggery syrup brings out a lot of flavor.
How to make Bellam Pongali
- Pour milk to a heavy bottom pot and bring it to a gentle boil. Stir in the rice, dal and hot water. Cook until tender and mushy. Keep stirring every 15 mins as you cook.
- Turn off when the pongali turns thick, yet of pouring consistency. It will thicken a lot when it cools down.
- Stir in ¾ of the cooled jaggery syrup or powdered jaggery and cardamom directly. Start with lesser jaggery here, you can add more as required.
- Heat ghee in a small pan, add cashews and fry till light golden. Add raisins and fry till they turn plump. Turn off and pour this to the bellam pongali.
Instant Pot Bellam Pongali
- Make sure your sealing ring is clean and sterilized. Pour ghee to the steel insert and fry the cashews on a sauté mode until light golden. Turn off and stir in the raisins. Remove them to a plate.
- Transfer rice, moong dal, water and milk to the steel insert. Cover the IP and position the vent to sealing. Press the porridge button and set the timer to 12 to 14 minutes.
- Let the pressure drop naturally, open the lid. It should be thick and fully cooked. Let cool down for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the jaggery/ jaggery syrup and cardamom. Start with lesser amount of jaggery and add more to taste later.
- Garnish with cashews and cardamoms.
Notes
- You can add the grated jaggery directly to the payasam but you get more deeper flavors by making a syrup. A lot of times jaggery has debris so it is always safe to dissolve, strain it and then boil it.
- Traditionally a lot of people use little water else the pongali becomes too thick when it cools down. It is up to you and you may use only milk if you want.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
I came here looking for bellam pongali recipe. Can you please share? I made it a few times from your blog and tastes heavenly. But I can’t find it now.
Hi Hema,
Sorry for the inconvenience. I have put it back here as second recipe. You can find it towards the end of the post.
Tasty !
Hi Swasthi madam! If I need to use condensed milk when can I use it?And should I not use sugar syrup if using condensed milk?
Dear Swasthi ji, your recipes are simply awesome and no words to express .. my whole family loves your recipes…
Thank you so much for posting lovely and yummy recipes
Hello Deepa
So happy to read that! Thank you so much!
🙂
My grandmother used to add moong dal to rice payasam. Can you tell me at when to add?
Hi Nalini,
Yes we also add moong dal sometimes especially if making for Durga or lakshmi pooja. You can rinse the rice and moong dal both together and make the same way.
Fantastic dishes
Thanks Hema
Paramannam is the traditional dish for every festival. Easy to prepare & serve.
Goddess preferable dish so we can use as nivedyam.
Hi Swasthi ! Yummy recipe and wonderful presentation . I tried this out and it came so good. Can I ask you where did you get that plate with the banyan leaf pattern that you have used in the final pic ? I’m looking for such a plate since long time and was not successful yet.
Hi Kaveri,
Thanks for the fedback. I bought it in Mustafa Singapore. I suppose they are available everywhere, it is made of melamine. They are available even in large sizes as big as a banana leaf.
Thanks for the info, I googled online and found it in the Amazon website too. Since I live in the US in store purchase is not an option so far. ?
I think we need to add little bit of salt too to make it more tasty…I tried this recipe by adding salt and it came out yum yum 🙂
Thank to swasthi recepie. I m bachelor by reading instructions with illustration i m ble prepare all sorts of food
Hello Venkatesh,
Thank you so much for the review.
🙂
yummy preparation and nice to see you after a long time and i missed you