Arisi Thengai Payasam Recipe

Arisi thengai ( rice coconut ) payasam is a traditional South Indian pudding / kheer recipe. It is a simple and quick sweet that can be made within minutes. It is prepared using rice, coconut, jaggery and coconut milk generally prepared during festivals or any special occasion. Thengai Payasam is one of the traditional neivedhayam ( prasadam ) recipes served in temples or when there is special pooja at home.

Arisi Thengai Payasam

Festivals, special occasions needs a desert. South Indians mostly don't go for puddings or stuffs like that. They need a proper payasam to finish a entire meal..We make payasam using a whole lot of things. One of the most popular payasam is Semiya Payasam.

Jump to:

• About Arisi Thengai Payasam
• Ingredients
• Thengai Payasam (Step by Step)
• Expert tips 
• FAQ
• Variations
• 📖 Recipe Card

Now this payasam is one of the traditional one..It is made with Coconut and Rice and very traditional combo. Together they form a yummy payasam.

About Arisi Thengai Payasam

Arisi thengai paysam is also known as Rice coconut kheer. ‘Arisi’ means ‘Rice’ and ‘Thengai’ means ‘Coconut’. This is a traditional south Indian recipe, jaggery and coconut milk is used to make the payasam, which makes it more tasty as well as healthy. This payasam is gluten free and can be made completely vegan.

Arisi thengai paysam or Rice coconut kheer is often prepared during Tamil new year, Aadi month festivals and navaratri as prasadam. Arisi thengai payasam tastes truly divine and melts in your mouth.

Why do I Love this Recipe - Every time I make this arisi coconut payasam, it's like stepping back into my childhood days at my mom’s house . It’s a taste of her love and when she serves this in a bowl it feels like a warm hug.

Arisi thengai payasam is a dessert that brings back memories of my childhood. Growing up, my Aachi ( grandmother ) and mother would often make this dish for special occasions and festivals, and it was always a treat to enjoy. I remember the way she would carefully cook the rice and coconut milk together, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Serve them in a banana leaf for onam sadhya or Tamil new year. I usually finish the meal with appalam and payasam.

Why does this recipe work?

Arisi coconut payasam is a delightful south Indian dessert that beautifully blends the flavours of rice and coconut. This recipe is so simple and tastes incredibly delicious. The beauty of this payasam lies in the ingredients like jaggery, rice and coconut with a pinch of cardamom powder. You can enjoy a delicious dessert with the comfort of your home kitchen in 30 minutes.

Auspicious offering : Generally if there is any festive occasion or pooja at home, the first thing that comes to our mind is payasam. This arisi thengai payasam recipe comes in handy and often served as prasadam for god.

Versatile : The recipe is so simple and versatile. You can customize with your favourite sweetener or you can include fruits like mango, banana. For a vegan version, you can add coconut sugar and roast the nuts in vegan butter or oil.

Ingredients

Basmati rice / any rice : Rice is the base of the kheer, providing its creamy and soft texture. Traditional recipe use basmati rice or raw rice. You can even use any millets instead of rice.

Water : Water is used to cook the rice. And also used to melt down the jaggery.

Jaggery : Jaggery is traditional unrefined sugar that adds a rich golden brown color to the kheer. You can even use condensed milk, refined sugar, coconut sugar in place of jaggery. The color of the kheer may differ.

Thick coconut milk : Coconut milk is added for the creamy, luscious texture and flavour. It also adds a distinct coconut aroma to the kheer.

Ghee : Ghee is used to roast the rice. It prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. And also adds richness to the overall kheer.

Tempering / Garnishing : For garnishing, roast the coconut bites, raisins, cashew nuts in ghee until golden brown. Add a pinch of cardamom powder for warm aromatic flavour.

Thengai Payasam (Step by Step)

Expert tips 

Follow these tips and tricks for a yummy arisi coconut payasam :

• You can use any variety of rice like sona masoori , raw rice or even any millet rice flakes.
• Make sure to wash and dry the rice before grinding.
• Grind the rice into a coarse texture.
• Cook the rice completely before adding the other ingredients.
• After preparing the jaggery syrup, strain them to remove impurities.
• For an added rich and creamy texture, grind the coconut with some soaked nuts like cashew nut, almond and saffron strand.
• For a luxurious taste, add soaked saffron milk to the payasam.

Storage and serving

The payasam tastes best when it is served fresh or chilled. You can store the payasam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. Before storing in the refrigerator, cool them completely.

Serving ideas

• You can serve the payasam in a traditional way like in an earthen pot or in a banana leaf meal.
• At the end of the meal, payasam can be consumed with the crushed appalam / papad.
• You can also serve them by adding chopped fruits like mango and banana.
• To present in a fusion version, you can serve them in parfait glass by stacking payasam, nuts, cut fruits and whipped cream. Garnish with edible flowers or edible silver leaf.

FAQ

1.Can I use canned coconut milk instead of fresh?

Yes, you can replace the fresh with canned coconut milk. But the taste and fragrance will differ. Make sure to adjust the sweetness accordingly.

2.How do I prevent coconut milk from curdling?

Cooking the coconut milk over a long period of time will result in curdling. Always add the coconut milk at the end of the cooking and turn it off immediately.

3.Can I make it with millets?

Absolutely! You can use any millet variety like kodo millet, barnyard millet , foxtail millet. Replace the rice with any millets of your choice and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

4.Can I make it as a one pot cooker payasam? 

For the pressure cooker version, wash and soak the rice for 30 mins. To the heavy bottomed pressure cooker pan, add the rice, jaggery and coconut milk and cook for 2 whistles. After releasing the pressure, garnish them with nuts.

5.How can I make instant pot payasam ?

For instant pot cooking, add the soaked rice and water, cook them in pressure setting, then add jaggery and coconut milk, simmer them on saute mode until it is thick and creamy. Garnish with ghee roasted nuts.

Variations

Caramel rice coconut payasam : For a rich and creamy taste, add homemade caramel syrup as sweetener to the payasam instead of jaggery. And also add a splash of vanilla extract to enhance the flavour.

Dates rice coconut payasam : Soak and grind the dates into paste or you can add dates powder. Add them as a natural sweetener in place of jaggery. It is also a great healthy option.

Millet coconut payasam : Use any millet of your choice like kodo millet, foxtail millet for a gluten free payasam version.

Rose coconut payasam : For a floral flavour, add a few drops of rose syrup or rose water or even gulkand paste. Gulkand and coconut act as a natural cooling agent.

More Payasam Recipes

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