Arisi Paruppu Payasam is made with rice, dal, jaggery, and milk. It’s really simple to make and is traditionally served during festive occasions or on New Year.
I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law—a traditional Naivedhyam Payasam that’s one of her staple recipes for festive occasions. Her version is usually made without coconut milk. Though I’ve tried both variations, and the coconut version is just as delicious. The method is essentially the same.
This payasam is another classic from Palakkad cuisine like Rava Kesari, but it also fits perfectly on an Onam Sadhya menu. Made with rice, lentils, milk, and jaggery, it’s simple to prepare yet full of comforting, celebratory flavors.
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Sandhya’s Top Tips for Arisi Paruppu Payasam
- You can easily swap milk for coconut milk if you want a richer, creamier payasam.
- Adjust the jaggery to suit your taste—some like it sweeter, some just lightly sweet.
- Play with the water quantity to get your preferred thickness for the payasam.
- If you’re using coconut milk, don’t boil it after adding—just warm it gently, or it might split.
- This payasam thickens as it cools, so I usually keep aside about ½ cup milk to loosen it if needed.
- To make fresh coconut milk at home, I blend ½ cup grated coconut with warm water and then squeeze it to get the milk.
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, raw rice (pacha arisi) or sona masoori rice works best. For the lentils, you can use a combination of split moong dal and/or chana dal to get that authentic, homely taste.
To make it Vegan: Just swap regular milk with coconut milk and replace ghee with vegan butter or coconut oil.
Gluten-free: Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free! There is no wheat-based ingredients.
Yes, absolutely! Coconut milk gives the payasam a rich, creamy texture and a lovely flavor. It’s a popular choice for vegan versions. I recommend making coconut milk at home with grated coconut - it doesn't take too much time.
Traditionally, this payasam uses jaggery for its deep, earthy sweetness. I don't recommend using regular white sugar - it will alter the taste and color completely.
More Easy Palakkad Cuisine Recipes
Ingredients
To Roast & Pressure Cook
- ¼ Cup Moong dal
- ¼ Cup Chana dal
- ½ Cup Rice
- 2½ Cup Water
Other Ingredients
- 1½ Cup Jaggery
- ¼ cup Water
- ½ Cup Milk
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 10 Cashew nuts broken into halves
Instructions
- Fry Moong Dal and Chana Dal separately until they get fragrant and slightly brown. Allow it to cool.
- Wash them twice under running water and add it to the pressure cooker pan.
- Wash Rice twice under running tap water and add it to the same pressure cooker pan.
- To 1 Cup of Rice + Dal Mix add 2 ½ Cups of Water. Pressure Cook until done. I would have given approximately 5 whistles. Alternatively pressure cook in the instant pot for 6 minutes. Allow the pressure to release by itself.
- In another pan, add ¼ Cup of Hot water and Jaggery. Allow the Jaggery Mixture to melt nicely and boil until a light frothy layer appears.
- To this Jaggery Mixture, add the Cooked Rice + Dal Mixture ( Arisi Paruppu). Once they blend well, add 1 ½ Cup of Milk.
- Allow the Whole Payasam Mixture to boil. This process will take about 5 minutes. Turn off the flame and add ground cardamom powder.
- In a small pan, melt ghee and add the broken cashew nuts. Fry them in low flat until light brown color is achieved. Turn off the flame and add all the ghee song with cashew nuts to the prepared Arisi Parup Paysam.
- After the Naivedyam, serve this traditional Arisi Paruppu Payasam along with main meal or just on its own.
Notes
Tips to Make the Payasam
- You can replace milk with coconut milk for a richer flavor.
- Adjust jaggery according to your taste preference.
- Control the water quantity to achieve your desired payasam consistency.
- If using coconut milk, do not boil after adding it—just heat gently to avoid curdling.
- This payasam thickens as it cools, so reserve about ½ cup of milk to adjust consistency if needed.
- To make coconut milk at home, blend ½ cup grated coconut with warm water, then squeeze to extract the milk.
Shweta Harish says
This Paysam tastes just like how my mum makes. Such an amazing recipe.