Paramannam literally means the Ultimate Food (Param-Annam) or food fit for the Gods, and it truly is just that. One form is the delicious Bellam Paramannam, a traditional rice and milk kheer from Andhra Pradesh that uses Bellam (jaggery) as the sweetner. This payasam is a must for most festivals and weddings.
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Andhra Bellam Paramannam
Other Rice and Jaggery Kheer Recipes
- Nei Payasam | Sharkara Payasam: Temple Style Rice and Jaggery Kheer from Kerala
- Sakkarai Pongal | Chakkara Pongal | Sweet Pongal
Jump to RecipeI first posted this recipe in October 2013 and am now updating it with a recipe card and new photos.
How to make Bellam Paramannam | Andhra Rice, Milk, and Jaggery Kheer
Ingredients
- Rice – 1/2 Cup
- Full-fat Milk – 1 Cup
- Grated Jaggery – 1/3 to 1/2 Cup (depends on how sweet you want the paramannam to be)
- Ghee – 1 tsp
- Split Cashews – 2 tbsp
- Paccha Karpooram, Edible Camphor (Optional) – A Tiny Pinch
- Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp
Method
- Wash the rice thoroughly.
- To a large, heavy-bottomed vessel, add rice and milk.
- Over medium flame, steam the mix for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker till the rice is well-cooked.
or
Cook in a heavy-bottomed vessel till the rice is mashable and all the milk has been absorbed. - Next, mash the rice lightly with a heavy ladle.
- Let this cooked and mashed rice cool till it is just warm to touch or to room temperature. This step is important as the milk in the mix will curdle if it is hot when the jaggery syrup is added.
- In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat the ghee.
- Split and add the cashew pieces to the ghee.
- Fry the cashews till light brown.
- Add 1/4 Cup water to the ghee and cashews. Use less water if you want your paramannam to be thick.
- Bring to a boil.
- Add the grated jaggery.
- Over medium heat, stir the jaggery continuously till it thickens a bit.
- Turn off the heat and let the jaggery syrup cool till its lukewarm or at room temperature.
- Add the cardamom powder and edible camphor, and mix well.
- When both the syrup and the rice are lukewarm, mix them together.
- Mix well till the syrup is well incorporated.
- Offer the Bellam Paramannam as naivedyam and enjoy as prasadam. 🙂
Tips
- Never add hot milk to jaggery syrup, or milk to hot jaggery syrup. The milk will curdle.
- The jaggery syrup need not be very thick as it.
- The colour of your Bellam Paramannam depends on the quantity of milk and the colour of the jaggery. Unbleached jaggery and lesser quantity of milk will give you a deeper brown colour. You can use 1/2 Cup Milk + 1/2 Cup Water instead of 1 Cup milk to get a deep brown colour.
Bellam Paramannam | Rice, Milk and Jaggery Kheer from Andhra Pradesh
Bellam Paramannam is a traditional kheer made in Andhra Pradesh with rice, milk and jaggery. It is made for all important festivals and at weddings.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Rice
- 1 Cup Milk (See notes)
- 1/3 Cup Grated Jaggery (See notes)
- 1 tsp Ghee
- 2 tbsp Split Cashews
- 1 Tiny Pinch Paccha Karpooram, Edible Camphor (Optional)
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder (Optional)
Instructions
- Wash the rice well and add 1 cup milk to it. You can also use 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water.
- On medium heat, while stirring continuously, cook the mix till the rice is soft and mashable. By this stage, the milk would have been absorbed almost completely. I steam the mix in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes instead of cooking on open flame.
- Set the cooked rice and milk mixture aside to cool. Let the mix cool till its lukewarm or at room temperature so that the milk in the mix does not curdle when we add the jaggery syrup.
- In a heavy bottomed vessel, over medium heat, heat the ghee.
- Add the split cashews and stir-fry till they start to change colour.
- Add 1/4 cup water (less if you want your payasam to be thick), and the grated jaggery.
- Mix well and let the jaggery melt. Cook till the syrup thickens a little.
- Let the jaggery syrup cool completely or till its lukewarm. Otherwise, the milk will curdle.
- To the jaggery syrup, add the cardamom powder and edible camphor, and mix well.
- Mix the cooled cooked rice and jaggery syrup and mix well.
- Serve Bellam Paramannam at room temperature.
Notes
- When you are using milk and jaggery syrup together in a recipe, both should be just warm or cool before you mix them; otherwise the milk will curdle.
- The colour of the Bellam Paramannam depends on the quantity of milk and the colour of the jaggery.
For a deeper brown colour, use:
- Unbleached jaggery; it is browner in colour and healthier too.
- Use 1/2 Cup Milk + 1/2 Cup Water instead of 1 Cup milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 231 kcalCarbohydrates: 40 gProtein: 5 gFat: 6 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 2 gCholesterol: 9 mgSodium: 28 mgPotassium: 143 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 20 gVitamin A: 99 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 84 mgIron: 1 mg
Happy New Year
Thank you. Happy New Year too…. 🙂
I really like the taste of bellam paramannam.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. My parvanam that I made for Surya Narayana Murthi prasadam came out very well.
Thank you so much for letting me know. I am happy to know the Bellam Paravannam came out well. 🙂