06 November 2013

Potato Kheer|Potato Pudding|Potato Payasam

potato_kheer

Today I've a kheer/payasam/pudding with a twist and something that is not that familiar to everyone I believe ..atleast I wasn't until my momma darling told me once over the phone that she saw this local Malayalam channel that aired a cookery show and the recipe of the show was "Potato Payasam" and she tried it ,came out perfect .

So,she gave me the recipe & asked me to try it as well.However,when she told me about this ,it was during the initial days of my married life and guess what ,"That was absolutely not the right time"....Let me tell ya,I was so dumb those days..phewsss...I only knew a handful of vegetables name..don't even ask me about any vegetables belonging to the squash family (remember the zucchini story)... and after landing in the US,the fish names were also so confusing (I didn't even know the Malayalam names properly), let alone any fish per se...(whoops dirty secret out..shh don't spread it)

Potato_payasam


Luckily, I had my mom's recipes scribbled in one of my notebook (chalo kuch to kaam aya notebook ka :P) the days before my wedding and I've no idea in which language it is exactly ,it looks sheer gibberish to me at times and that's also one of the reasons why I started this blog to jot them down properly at one place for easy access and reference ...

If my mom would read this ,guess what she would be saying,"AWESOME" ..u deserve it my child(to tease me) :P...now you'll understand why I used to drag and compel you to learn cooking ...well,it wasn't that I never ever entered my mom's department ,her kitchen ..during holidays I had no other strong excuse to get away from her cooking lessons otherwise during school times,I became the most studious girl of this world if she ever beckoned me to learn La cooking Klass ...Still during holidays I just helped her in chopping ,blending  at the most making Tea or yesss Omellete to keep her silent and not violent:P..that's it ..and my mom being a perfectionist and me being the impatient-ist , it was impossible to stand long :P...somehow I escaped...but now I wish I wouldn't have..after wedding each and every day was what to make,how to make,when to make and "WHY TO MAKE" :O...if only I mastered atleast the basics..sighh..sobb...

Potato_pudding

Seriously,hope my mom won't be reading this ever otherwise she'll be LOLing sarcastically...which she does whenever I ask her for recipes over the phone for hours but then she is understanding and encouraging too..THANKFULLY!!

Similarly lucky to have a husband who is equally encouraging and supporting me through thick and thin and now after a couple of years of our wedding,he is finally saying from "Not bad " to "Better" to "good"to "PERFECT"..and needless to say ,how I long and am satisfied to hear that (though still learning not that perfect)...and now cooking has just become my passion..I agree with my mom ,"Cooking is indeed an art" and "Practice does make a man and a  woman perfect"..& moreover,that I didn't let her down :).

So,I tried this potato kheer during one of our get together/Potluck party with friends .Infact,I would always opt for "Pappadums or pickles or at the most semiya payasam " for such potlucks:D ..you know why :P...easy breezy escape :P but this time (I guess I was having shani dasha going on .astrologically bad time) ,my friends forced me to bring something different ..they were literally pleading :D...I being humble and benevolent :P ..I obliged ...So,I thought of making potato kheer ..which I tried first at home and got a green signal from my hubby ..so I went ahead prepared and  took it proudly to the get together and when I told them it was potato kheer everyone were just dumbstruck ...then some one from the back shouted ,"Oh I know ,I know "..everyone were curiuosly like ,"What ,what,whaaat"..He said,"It's April fool day people". Tha'ts a prank ,a trap!!...

aloo_kheer

Everyone were just ..ahaan...LOLing..and guess what I already saw that coming because that's exactly why I prepared it I knew they would hardly believe it whatsoever..first it was April fool
's day ,second we all were like newly married ones..so ,no one were that expert in cooking ...Anyways,I asked them to taste it ..still they were like it tastes like a rice pudding/payasam ..then someone said hey I just tasted a bit of something,I believe it's a "POTATO" and everyone  ,"Reaaaally!"...I gave them the recipes eventually to try and with braveheart they all did try and were extremely happy with the outcome and me happy beyond words as they not only accepted and loved the recipe but also,I did make them all April fools indirectly ..lesson learnt ,"You don't have to necessarily play a prank to make someone a April fool" :D

So that was a looOng story AGAIN,I really don't know how to write less I think....afterall,what needs to be said,should be said I believe...well,that's me..I remember one of my manager at work said once,"I was verbose" :D (in a good way though)...now coming fast to the recipe(kinda), Potato Kheer/Payasam is a dessert made with the ordinary potato , milk, condensed milk and tapioca pearls. It is an apt dessert for people who do fasting or as an offering to God , a sure party pleaser  , everyone are gonna just love it and be ready for some compliments :) or just have it anytime you wish :)(like me )..trust me you will hardly taste the potato..will taste exotic infact :)

Potato Kheer/Pudding/Payasam

Ingredients:

Boiled Potato (large) - 1 no.
Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Condensed milk (Fat free) - 1/2 cup
Sago/Sabudana/Tapioca Pearls- 3 tablespoon (optional)
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 2-3 Tablespoon
Raisins & Cashewnuts - a few (10-15 nos.)
Rose syrup for decoration (optional)

Method :

  1. Wash and soak Sabudana in a cup of hot water for a while. Drain it once it becomes a little fluffier and keep it aside (15-30 minutes approx).
  2. Fry raisins until it plumps and cashew nuts until light brown in ghee in a small pan (low flame) and keep it aside.
  3. Mash the boiled potato (a few bits instead of complete paste would be good) and keep it aside.
  4. Heat a wide pan with ghee and saute the mashed potato until the raw smell of the potato disappears. (5-10 minutes approx)
  5. Add drained sabudana and milk to it and boil it on a high flame .Once everything boils reduce the flame and let it simmer for a while on medium flame (do keep stirring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom and get burnt) until the sabudana gets cooked and milk reduces to half its quantity.
  6. Add sugar, raisin, cashew nuts and cardamom powder to it. Give it a stir.
  7. Add condensed milk to it and mix everything once again and allow it simmer for another 5-10 minutes on low flame.
  8. Potato kheer is ready .Serve it hot or cold.
Note:
  • Sabudana if not soaked can be boiled separately and directly used for the kheer.By the way Sabudana is optional as I love to bite it in the kheer.
  • Add sugar carefully as per your desired sweetness keeping in mind the condensed milk used.
  • If the payasam is too thick,add extra milk.This payasam has got the tendency to become thick gradually.
  • I used rose syrup for decoration purpose .




sending this to Sharanya's Let's cook for christmas