CARAMEL PAYASAM - ODIA CHAULA KHIRI

    When I first saw the recipe of Caramel Payasam, I was sceptical.  A Caramelized Payasam???  Well, with recipes like Caramel Pudding, Butter Scotch, Ice Creams, or in cakes, my mind said, it could fit well into recipes like that, would it be good for a Payasam? But my preconceptions were cleared when I read that it is one of the traditional Payasam/Kheer from Orissa.  ORISSA, Currently, Odisha, this is an authentic Kheer from Odisha, and it's colloquially called Odia Khiri or Chaula Khiri.  Khiri is Kheer/Payas and Chaula is Rice and as it originates from the region, it comes to be called Odia Khiri.

    Looking deep into its origin and history before cooking is one habit I have taken up in recent years, mainly to convince my mind that a dish is worth a try. The recipe as such and the colour of the Kheer was so appealing that my mind was convinced rather soon to go ahead with the recipe.  At last, Aesthetics matters!!! (Here, my daughter can understand the term well, I guess).  Well, this Khiri recipe had a technique to yield the needed golden hue where in Kerala Paal Payasam we go to an extent of underlying caramelization of the whole concoction to yield the required pink hue synonymous to Paalada Payasam and Paal Payasam. 

    So, after a good amount of time reading about the dish and necessary homework, I got into action.  Don't ever think I take too much time to execute all the process... It was just a few hours before I was convinced and cooked this authentic Odia Chaula Khiri or simply the Caramel Payasam.

CARAMEL PAYASAM - ODIA CHAULA KHIRI

    Well, coming back to Odia Chaula Khiri or the Caramel Payasam, the two highlights of this dessert are the Spiced Caramel and the Rice.  Rice is one main ingredient used to make Payasam/Pradhaman/Kheer/Khiri/Payesh/Payokh - the utmost traditional dessert spread through the length & breath of the Indian Sub-continent.  Rice plays a major role in Indian Cuisine as a staple, and in terms of Religious significance, it symbolizes prosperity.  So rice kheer takes a significant place in most religious ceremonies. In Odisha, it is customary for a new bride to cook this Chaula Khiri as her first dish in her in-law's house.

    I have tried to make this Kheer alias Khiri with a note of intricacy, I have roasted the rice grains in caramel before cooking it in milk and that type of Kheer is called as Bhaja Chaula Khiri.  The later method, i.e. roasting the rice for a few minutes before cooking it with milk, yields a chewy yet firm rice grains, and also it has a pleasant hue with a wonderful taste.  I have used just Milk & Sugar, as traditional recipes call for these ingredients, and have slow cooked the Khiri in a pressure cooker. Slow cooking yields you with a golden hued Odia Khiri with a wonderful creamy texture.  But some recipes call for condensed milk and Khoya so that this Caramel Payasam can get the needed thickness in simple steps.

CARAMEL PAYASAM - ODIA CHAULA KHIRI

 

For more PAYASAM/PRADHAMAN/KHEER Recipes, Click here...

Cuisine - Odisha (India)
Recipe Type - Pradhaman/Payasam, Dessert
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 4-6
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 15 - 30 Minutes
Soaking Time - 2 Hours
Cooking Time - 15- 20 Minutes

For more DESSERT RECIPES, Click here...

 

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL PAYASAM - ODIA CHAULA KHIRI - BHAJA CHAULA KHIRI

CARAMEL PAYASAM - ODIA CHAULA KHIRI

INGREDIENTS:

For Caramel:

Sugar  -  1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon
Warm Water  -  1/4 Cup
Ghee - 2 Tablespoon 
Cardamoms - 3–4 Nos.
Bay Leaf - 2 Leaves

 

For Caramel Payasam:

Basmati Rice / Long Grained Rice - 3 Tablespoons
Sugar -   1- 11/4 Cup
Milk - 5 Cups

METHOD:

Preparation:

• Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours. 
• Drain the water and allow the rice to dry on an absorbent kitchen towel for 1/2 an hour.
• Pulse the rice in a mixer for a few seconds, to make it into a coarse powder.
• Alternatively, can use whole rice too.
• Dry roast the saffron strands for a few seconds, soak it in 1 Tablespoon of warm milk & keep it aside.
• Blanch the Almonds and Cashew Nuts & cut them into small pieces.
• Grind the Cardamoms along with a few teaspoons of Sugar into a fine powder.
• Boil the Milk is a heavy-bottomed pan and continue to boil it on a low flame until it is reduced and thickened.