If you’re craving a fruity dessert, you should definitely try fruit payasam aka rice pudding with fruit. It’s sweet, fruity, and very satisfying! As far as desserts go, it checks all the boxes!
What is fruit payasam?
Payasam is a creamy Indian dessert made by cooking rice, vermicelli, lentils, or grains in milk. The dessert is usually sweetened with jaggery or sugar, and flavored with spices such as cardamom and saffron.
There are many variations of payasam, but the ones made with rice are somewhat similar to rice pudding.
Payasam is usually topped with roasted cashews and raisins. Adding fruits, though not conventional, is a nice way to make the usual rice pudding unique and different.
How to make fruit payasam
Everyone South Indian household has its own way of making payasam. For me, rice payasam is the ultimate comfort food. Topping it with my favorite fruits such as mango and jackfruit takes it to a whole new level.
To make fruit payasam, we start off with a rice pudding base before incorporating our fruit of choice (either chopped, grated, puréed, or compote) into it.
How much sugar to add to fruit payasam?
When making rice pudding, I typically use a 1:1 ratio of rice to sugar.
However, it’s important to note that fruits tend to be sweet as well. So for this recipe, I use less sugar than I usually would. Since fruits do vary in terms of how sweet they are, the best way to go about it is to taste the payasam as you’re making it and add more sugar, if needed.
How to make jackfruit payasam
Jackfruit is one of my favorite fruits! My in-laws have a jackfruit tree right outside their house, and we often get to enjoy fresh jackfruit, which is such a treat.
You can also buy pre-packed jackfruit from the grocery store, which saves you the trouble of cutting this huge fruit and dealing with its infamous sticky residue.
To make jackfruit payasam, you start off by making rice payasam as a base.
You cook the rice in milk over the stove for 20 – 25 minutes. Once the rice softens, and you get a pudding-like consistency, it’s time to add jackfruit purée and sugar to your payasam. Simmer for another 10 minutes before serving hot, with jackfruit slices on top as garnish.
How to make mango payasam
Who doesn’t love sweet, juicy mangos? Mango payasam is a delicious dessert that heroes everybody’s favorite summer fruit.
Like jackfruit payasam, you start off by making a rice payasam as a base.
You cook the rice in milk over the stove for 20 – 25 minutes. Once the rice softens, and you get a pudding-like consistency, it’s time to add mango purée and sugar to your payasam. Simmer for another 10 minutes before serving hot with mango chunks on top as garnish.
What other fruits can I use?
In this blog post, I share my jackfruit and mango payasam recipes, but honestly, the possibilities are endless when it comes to fruit payasam. You can basically use any fruit you want and make a delicious and fruity rice pudding with it.
Here are some examples:
- Berries. You can make a berry compote and add it to your rice payasam to make a vibrant and yummy berry payasam.
- Apples. Grate and cook apples over the stove until the moisture evaporates before adding to rice payasam. This makes a delicious apple rice pudding.
- Pineapple. Cut pineapple into small pieces and cook over the stove with sugar and water until the mixture reduces and pineapples soften. Add this chunky pineapple mixture to rice payasam for a yummy tropical dessert.
So start using your favorite fruits to jazz up that ol’ rice pudding!
Fruit Payasam
Ingredients
For Jackfruit Payasam
- ½ cup rice
- 5 cups whole milk
- 2 cardamom pods, crushed
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- 100g (3.5 oz) jackfruit, chopped into small pieces
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 8 – 10 raisins
- 8 – 10 cashews
For Mango Payasam
- ½ cup rice
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cardamom pods, crushed
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- 250g (9 oz) mango, cubed
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 8 – 10 raisins
- 8 – 10 cashews
Instructions
For Jackfruit Payasam
- Wash the rice and then, soak it in water for 30 minutes.
- After soaking, drain the water. Put the rice, milk and cardamom pods into a pot and heat on medium-high until the milk begins to boil.
- Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot.
- In a separate frying pan, heat ghee before adding the cashews and raisins. Roast until cashews begin to brown, then set aside.
- In the same frying pan, add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes before adding water and sugar. Cook until the jackfruit softens and the water reduces, about 10–15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Once the jackfruit mixture cools, add to a blender and blend until smooth. If needed, add 1-2 tbsp of water to form a smooth paste.
- Back to the payasam. After 25 minutes, add the jackfruit purée. Mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes. At this stage, taste the payasam to test the sweetness. Add 2 –3 extra tbsp of sugar, if you prefer. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add the roasted cashews and raisins to the payasam and stir to combine.
- Pour into bowls and garnish with jackfruit slices before serving.
For Mango Payasam
- Wash the rice and then, soak it in water for 30 minutes.
- After soaking, drain the water. Put the rice, milk and cardamom pods into a pot and heat on medium-high until the milk begins to boil.
- Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking at the bottom of the pot.
- In a separate frying pan, heat ghee before adding the cashews and raisins. Roast until cashews begin to brown, and then set aside.
- Next, add the cubed mango and sugar to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Back to the payasam. After 25 minutes, add the mango purée. Mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes. At this stage, taste the payasam to test the sweetness. Add 2 – 3 extra tbsp of sugar, if you prefer. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add the roasted cashews and raisins along with any remaining ghee to the payasam and stir to combine.
- Pour into bowls and garnish with mango chunks before serving.
Conclusion
Fruit payasam is delicious and easy to make. Plus, you can use different fruits to change it up each time! Be sure to make this for the fruit lovers in your life. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on their faces!
