Saffron ~ Almond Flavoured Vermicelli Payasam.

“Saffron ~ Almond Flavoured Vermicelli Payasam (Kheer) / Keshar ~ Badam Ghalnu Vermicelli (Shevai) Doodh Pak” ... A Delicious Dessert offered as Naivedyam … Sharing With All My Friends Here … Yummy …

Kheer / Doodh Pak / Payasam is a simple to prepare, yet a deliclious sweet payasam dish prepared during festivals and served after offering as Naivedyam to God. This is a dish cooked in milk or sometimes even in coconut milk with a combination or as it is with many ingredients like Rice, Sabudana (Tapioca pearls), Vermicelli (Sevaiyan / Shevai) etc. Addition of fruits to the same is sort of new invention learnt by the modern generation cooking trends. Traditional dishes with a little bit of change is always welcome to youngsters nowadays. They are always looking out for some change or the other. So in order to keep up or make the children have the fruits and vegetables without making a fuss, parents have to crack their brains and come up with new forms of introducing them into the dishes while seeing to it that they keep it healthy and also traditional. I have already posted a Kheer / Doodh Pak / Payasam prepared with rice and sabudana here before. So also a dish prepared only with Vermicelli. This dish is also on similar lines where I have made simple changes of addition of almond slivered / sliced instead of the usual cashew nuts and raisins. Do try this kheer out and enjoy the Saffron flavoured payasam. Yummy.

** Bring ½ liter of full fat milk (you can use skimmed milk too) to boil, lower the heat and simmer it for about 5 minutes. Keep it simmering on low heat aside while you go ahead with the remaining preparations.

** In a thick bottomed kadai add 1 tsp of fresh homemade ghee. When it melts add in 1 cup of vermicelli and fry till slightly browned. Nowadays we get roasted vermicelli / shevai too. You can use any of your choice. 

** Now add in the simmering milk gently into the vessel. Be careful and pour slowly through the sides as it may splutter and fall on your hands. Once all the milk has been added in mix all together and bring to a full boil. Add in a few stands of saffron. Lower the heat to medium and mix well.

** Keep stirring to avoid the ingredients from getting burnt at the bottom add cook till the vermicelli is cooked properly. They thicken up on cooking.  

** Now add 1 to 1.5 cups of sugar (plus or minus as per individual tate) and mix well till the sugar gets melted. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

** Now add in half a cup of slivered almonds and ½ tsp of cardamom powder and mix well. Remove from fire and keep this aside covered for few minutes. 

** Saffron ~ Almond flavoured Vermicelli Payasam is ready to be offered to God as Naivedyam. Go ahead and enjoy the prasadam / payasam after the Pooja with family and friends. This is a lovely dish which will be definitely loved by Young and Old alike. 

** Serve this Payasam hot or cold as per your liking. But my suggestion would be to serve it hot as this kheer taste awesome when served hot. You can serve this after the meal as a dessert too, whichever way you prefer but stay assured children will simply love this dish with the crunchiness almond pieces. 

** Note : If you find that the Payasam has thickened too much, you can always add in hot water or hot milk and mix well again. Most of the time it does thicken up on cooling down, so keep it a little thinner in the initial stage or add on milk / water later on. 

** Please do use the search option and check up on other Payasams too for variety of flavours.