Broken Rice Pudding (Matta Rice Payasam ) Kerala Paal Payasam

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Broken Rice pudding or Matta Rice payasam or Kerala Paal Payasam is a delicious dessert made during festivals and celebrations and a popular 'prasadam' (food of religious offering) in temples. The perfect blend of velvety, sweetened milk and tender, broken red rice with nuts and raisins roasted in ghee creates a mouthwatering delicacy that's irresistibly delicious and will leave you craving every last drop!

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Why you'll love this?
Ingredients needed
How to make Broken Rice Pudding (Matta rice payasam)?
Recipe FAQs
Related Recipes
Broken Rice Pudding ( Matta Rice Payasam)

Matta rice payasam, sometimes also known as Ambalapuzha payasam, is a kind of rice pudding that uses broken red rice, and this particular rice imparts a distinct flavor to the pudding.

Why you'll love this?

This dessert strikes the perfect balance of sweetness, offering a delightful flavor that's not too overpowering.
The mix of broken red rice and sweetened milk creates a unique, comforting taste that anyone who enjoys milk-based treats like the Vermicelli Semiya Payasam will enjoy.
This pudding has cardamom flavoring and nuts, and raisins, which enhance the taste.
It is one of the easiest and simplest desserts, especially when using a pressure cooker and in a time crunch.
Great for parties, and guests usually love this dessert. Some other suggestions are the pineapple pudding recipe and the rose falooda recipe.
A great prasadam dish, it is made for festivals and kept as an offering for God, and tastes divine like the unniyappam made with unniyappam recipe, sharkara payasam, and neyyappam with rice flour.
This payasam is also a popular dessert at get-togethers like weddings and is served after a delicious and mouthwatering meal like Malabar chicken biryani, Kerala mutton biryani, or Kerala prawn biryani.

Ingredients needed

Ingredients for making Matta Rice Payasam displayed on the counter.

Rice (red broken) Matta Rice, a kind of brown rice but with more flavor.
Full-fat milk or 2% fat is fine, too. I used the 2% fat milk.
Sweetened condensed milk is optional; this gives a rich and creamy consistency and is especially better when using reduced-fat milk.
Sugar: Add more if you like it sweeter and adjust accordingly if you are also adding sweetened condensed milk.
Cardamom seeds, powdered finely - This gives a nice aroma and flavor to the pudding.
Cashews and Raisins are fried in ghee and chopped into small pieces.

How to make Broken Rice Pudding (Matta rice payasam)?

To make this, all you do is pressure cook the rice, add milk and sugar with a little powdered cardamom, and keep boiling it till you get the desired consistency.

If you use canned sweetened condensed milk, the job is even easier; you can use it instead of milk and sugar. Condensed milk makes great desserts like doodh peda or milk peda and the best tres leches cake.

However, if you like to use only whole milk, that is fine. Using whole milk gives a rich and creamy texture. Continue heating on low flame, reducing the milk to half or until it thickens to your desired consistency.

Some folks prefer to add a combination of milk and condensed milk as well. Garnish with dry fruits and nuts fried in clarified butter, and voila, you are done!

Step 1: Wash the broken red rice well, add about double the amount of water, and cook in a pressure cooker for about 1 to 2 whistles.

Broken red rice cooked in a pressure cooker.

Step 2: When the pressure is released, open the cooker and check if the rice is cooked as desired; it should easily mush.

Spoonful of Matta Rice Payasam from a pressure cooker.

Step 3: Add milk and sugar and adjust to have a free-flowing consistency.

Cashews and raisins being fried in ghee on a black non-stick pan.

Step 4: Fry cashews and raisins in ghee until they turn brown, drain, and keep aside. Chop into smaller bits.

Condensed milk poured from a tin into the Matta Rice Payasam.

Step 5: Add condensed milk if using and stir well. Cook on low flame, and make sure it doesn't burn.

Step 6: Powder cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar into a fine powder.

Powdered cardamom added to Matta Rice Payasam.

Step 7: Add the cardamom powder to the cooker with the milk and rice.

Matta Rice Payasam in a silver spoon cooked in pressure cooker.

Step 8: Mix well, simmer, and finally add the fried cashews and raisins.

Broken red payasam served in a green bowl. — Matta Rice Payasam as prasadam offering

Recipe FAQs

Can I use regular white rice for this payasam?

Yes, while white rice is commonly used to make this payasam, often referred to as Paal Payasam, and it will still be delicious, using matta rice adds a distinct flavor and unique texture. For a truly authentic taste, you might want to opt for matta rice to elevate the dish.

Can condensed milk be skipped when making the matta rice payasam?

You can substitute condensed milk with regular milk and sugar, and it will still deliver the same authentic taste. For the best results, try using whole milk to enhance the richness and flavor.

What is the shelf life of the matta rice payasam?

This payasam can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three days; make sure to store it properly in an airtight container. It is best to have it fresh for the best flavor.

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