Aravana Payasam | Aravanam | Kerala Red Rice and Jaggery Payasam
The Aravana Payasam given as naivedyam at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple is simply divine and through this recipe, I hope to help you make it at home.
Made with Matta rice, ghee and jaggery; and flavoured with dry ginger and cardamom; Aravanam is gooey, rich and simply delicious. It also has a very long shelf-life.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed vessel with lid
- Ladle
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Matta Rice
- 1/4 Cup Ghee
- 2 Cups Water
- 1.5 Cups Jaggery
- 2 tbsp Coconut Pieces
- 1/4 tsp Dry Ginger Powder (Chukku, Soonth, Sonthi)
- 3 or 4 Green Cardamom (Whole Pods, Crushed Lightly)
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed vessel, over medium flame, melt 1/4 cup ghee.
- Add 2 tbsp finely chopped coconut pieces and stir-fry till they start to change colour and become light brown.
- Remove the fried coconut from the ghee and set aside.
- To the same ghee, add 1/4 cup of Matta Rice and fry well for about 5 minutes.
- Now add 2 cups of water and cook covered till the rice is cooked.
- Add 3/4 cup grated palm jaggery and mix well till the jaggery melts.
- Add 3 or 4 lightly crushed whole green cardamom pods and mix well.
- Let the mix cook and thicken till the ghee starts to leave the sides. At this stage the Aravanam will be gooey and glossy.
- Turn off the heat.
- Now add the fried coconut pieces, 1 tbsp ghee (optional) and 1/4 tsp of dried ginger powder, and mix well.
- Offer as naivedyam and serve as prasadam.
- Store in a dry, air-tight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 478 kcalCarbohydrates: 88 gProtein: 1 gFat: 12 gSaturated Fat: 8 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3 gCholesterol: 29 mgSodium: 8 mgPotassium: 63 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 76 gVitamin A: 1 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 46 mgIron: 1 mg