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    Home » Paayasam/Kheer » Aval Payasam | Poha Kheer | Flattened Rice Pudding

    Aval Payasam | Poha Kheer | Flattened Rice Pudding

    Posted on October 10, 2019 · Last Updated on October 29, 2022 · By Srividhya G · 19 Comments

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    Enjoy this festive season with this easy to prepare and delicious nuts-free flattened rice pudding, popularly known as aval payasam in Tamil! A perfect dessert for your festive feast!

    poha kheer closeup shotThe beginning of ashada month (month of the Hindu calendar corresponding to the June/July of English calendar) marks the beginning of the festive season. As we all know, the festive Indian meal is incomplete without a kheer or sweet pudding. So today, I am going to share a popular South Indian kheer recipe, and it’s the flattened rice pudding or the aval payasam.

    In our house, we always make paal payasam (milk-based kheer), onion sambar, potato curry the day before Diwali. My mom usually makes the kheer either with rice or with flattened rice/aval. I have already shared the recipe for paal payasam (rice kheer), and now it’s time for this poha kheer.

    Aval means flattened rice/beaten rice/ rice flakes in Tamil, and payasam means pudding. This aval payasam is quite famous across South Indian. In Telugu, we call this kheer as atukula payasam and in Kannada avalakki payasa. And in Malayalam, we call it as aval payasam only. I am sure, like other recipes; every household will have their version of this payasam. Now here is my version.

    Let discuss the ingredients required and how to make this payasam in detail.

    Ingredients Required for Aval Payasam & Substitutes:

    • Aval | Flattened Rice: I prefer thick poha for this kheer. You can use either white or red poha, but thick ones work well for this recipe. Thin ones become bit mushy as it gets soaked in milk for a longer time. Also, for four cups of milk, I am using one cup of poha. You can add up to 1.5 cups of poha, but not more than that.
    • Milk: I used 2% reduced-fat milk. For a creamier and rich version, you can use whole milk. Honestly, 2% reduced-fat milk or toned milk works perfectly fine. I haven’t tried this recipe with vegan milk options.
    • Sugar: This payasam is similar to paal payasam, and my mom always uses sugar for paal payasam instead of jaggery. I used raw sugar for this kheer, but there is no harm in using jaggery as well. 
    • Condensed Milk: I used ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk. But this completely optional. If you are using whole milk or if you prefer subtle sweetness, you can skip this. Or you can use more sugar and skip the condensed milk too.
    • Green Cardamom: It’s the flavor infuser, and I love the flavor of cardamom in my kheer. I used four green cardamoms crushed for this recipe. If you have cardamom powder, you can use about ½ tsp. 
    • Edible Camphor: Yet another optional ingredient, but if you have it handy, please add it. I love the flavor of edible camphor/patchai karpooram in Tamil in sweet pongal and kheer. 

    Nut-Free Kheer:

    I am not allergic to nuts. I have mixed nuts kheer on my blog too. Then are you wondering why I kept it nuts-free? For paal payasam, I personally don’t prefer nuts and raisins fried in ghee. :-)

    I feel that ghee (even though it’s minimal) alters the taste when combined with milk. As I mentioned, it’s purely my choice. You can fry ten cashews and ten raisins in 1 tbsp of ghee and add it to the kheer. 

    poha kheer in a clay pot on a red mat

    How to Make Poha Kheer:

    The recipe is super simple, and you can make this kheer in 30 minutes! Once the milk starts to boil, you can add the other ingredients one by one in 3 minutes interval. I do not roast the poha. I wash it thoroughly and let it soak in water for two minutes. Then drain it and add it to the milk. That makes it super easy right? You need to stir the milk often, and I won’t recommend leaving the kheer unattended for more than 5 to 7 minutes. 

    Now without any further ado, here is the aval payasam recipe with detailed step-wise pictures.

    • In a heavy bottom pot, add 4 cups of milk and bring it to a boil.

    4 cups of milk in a sauce pan

    • When the milk starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and stir the milk. Keep a wooden spatula on top, as shown in the picture, to prevent the milk from overflowing.  It comes till the brim but rarely overflows. So far it has worked out for me. 

    keeping wooden spoon on top to prevent milk overflowing

    • Increase the heat to medium-low and keep stirring the milk for 5 minutes. Scrape the sides and collect the milk skin or the lactoderm that forms on the top and add it back to the milk. Keep stirring the milk so that it doesn’t get burned. Also, if the milk is over boiling and if you think, it is going to overflow, then reduce the heat to low and keep stirring. 
    • Now add ¾ cup of sugar and mix. Gently stir the milk and let the sugar dissolve. 

    adding sugar to the payasam

    • After about three minutes, add crushed cardamom.

    adding cardamom to the payasam

    • Then add ¼ cup of condensed milk. Mix and let the sugar and condensed milk incorporate into the milk completely. Keep stirring for every one minute for three minutes. (You can do this up to 5 minutes) During this process, scrape the sides and collect the milk skin and add it to the kheer again, as I mentioned before. 

    adding condensed milk to the payasam

    • Meanwhile, rinse the thick poha and let it soak in water 2 minutes and then drain the water.
    • Now add the drained poha to the kheer and mix.

    adding aval to the payasam

    • Add the edible camphor(crush it a bit), if using to the kheer, and let the kheer simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the poha turns soft.

    adding pachai karpooram to the kheer

    • Turn off the heat and let the kheer cool a bit. This step allows poha to absorb all the flavor from the milk. 

    cooked poha in the kheer

    • Serve warm or cold. 

    top angle of poha kheer on a red mat

    Recipe Notes-

    I have included the substitutes on the ingredient list itself, but let me repeat the major ones here.

    • Use thick poha for this kheer. You can use the red variety as well. Also, do not add more 1.5 cups of poha.
    • Along with green cardamom, you can use one or two cloves. Also, you can add saffron strands for additional flavor.
    • Edible camphor and condensed milk are optional. 
    • Instead of sugar, you can use jaggery as well. 
    • Even though toned milk works well for this recipe, you can use whole milk for a creamier and rich version.
    • I did not add any nuts. But you can fry cashews and raisins in ghee and add it to the kheer.

    PS: Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates. If you try this poha kheer recipe, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe.

    I am sending this post to Blogging Marathon 105 under the theme “Diwali Savories and Sweets”. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#105

    aval payasam on a ceramic pot with a spoon on the side
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    5 from 4 votes

    Aval Payasam | Poha Kheer | Flattened Rice Pudding

    Festive special flattened rice pudding is popularly known as aval payasam in Tamil. Easy to make, delicious, and nut-free poha kheer recipe!
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: TamilNadu
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 234kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups milk I used 2% reduced-fat milk
    • ¾ cup raw sugar
    • 4 green cardamoms crushed
    • ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 cup flattened rice thick variety
    • ⅛ tsp edible camphor a small piece

    Instructions

    • In a heavy bottom pot, add 4 cups of milk and bring it to a boil.
    • When the milk starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and stir the milk. Keep a wooden spatula on top, as shown in the picture, to prevent the milk from overflowing. It comes till the brim but rarely overflows. So far it has worked out for me. But make sure to reduce the heat to low. 
    • Increase the heat to medium-low and keep stirring the milk for 5 minutes. Scrape the sides and collect the milk skin or the lactoderm that forms on the top and add it back to the milk. Keep stirring the milk so that it doesn't get burned. Also, if the milk is over boiling and if you think, it is going to overflow, then reduce the heat to low and keep stirring.
    • Now add ¾ cup of sugar and mix. Gently stir the milk and let the sugar dissolve.
    • After about three minutes, add crushed cardamom.
    • Then add ¼ cup of condensed milk. Mix and let the sugar and condensed milk incorporate into the milk completely. Keep stirring for every one minute for three minutes. (You can do this up to 5 minutes) During this process, scrape the sides and collect the milk skin and add it to the kheer again, as I mentioned before.
    • Meanwhile, rinse the thick poha and let it soak in water 2 minutes and then drain the water.
    • Now add the drained poha to the kheer and mix.
    • Add the edible camphor (crush it a bit), if using to the kheer, and let the kheer simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the poha turns soft.
    • Turn off the heat and let the kheer cool a bit. This step allows poha to absorb all the flavor from the milk.
    • Serve warm or cold.

    Notes

    • I have included the substitutes on the ingredient list itself, but let me repeat the major ones here.
    • Use thick poha for this kheer. You can use the red variety as well. Also, do not add more 1.5 cups of poha.
    • Along with green cardamom, you can use one or two cloves. Also, you can add saffron strands for additional flavor.
    • Edible camphor and condensed milk are optional.
    • Instead of sugar, you can use jaggery as well.
    • Even though toned milk works well for this recipe, you can use whole milk for a creamier and rich version.
    • I did not add any nuts. But you can fry cashews and raisins in ghee and add it to the kheer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    Updates Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2010 but now updated with new photos and fresh content.

     
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    Filed Under: Adi Perukku, Diwali, Festivals, Navratri, Paayasam/Kheer, Ugadi, Vinayaka Chaturthi Tagged With: Aval Paayasam, aval payasam, aval payasam recipe, easy recipes, festival recipes, flattened rice pudding, how to prepare aval payasam, paal payasam, payasam, Poha Kheer, under 30 minutes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Srivalli Jetti says

      October 22, 2019 at 7:40 pm

      That’s surely one creamy pot of goodness Srividhya, love your bowl and props.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 23, 2019 at 11:33 am

        Thanks a lot Valli.

        Reply
    2. Suma Gandlur says

      October 16, 2019 at 3:40 pm

      Poha soaked in sweetened milk was a regular snack for us too while growing up and the payasam thing happened later as Rajani mentioned. The camphor must have added an inviting flavor to the poha payasam. Quick and easy one for any occasion.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 17, 2019 at 9:34 am

        Yes Suma. Thanks :-)

        Reply
    3. Sushma Pinjala says

      October 16, 2019 at 7:37 am

      I ahve been thinking to make this payasam for a very long time. Will definitely try your recipe soon. Looks perfect

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 16, 2019 at 9:02 am

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    4. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      October 14, 2019 at 7:09 am

      5 stars
      Vidhya, absolutely love aval payasam and this is just how I like it. I am a big fan of paal payasama and that edible camphor just makes the payasam taste even amazing.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2019 at 9:26 am

        Thanks Sandhya :-)

        Reply
    5. Pavani says

      October 13, 2019 at 6:41 pm

      5 stars
      Perfectly made poha kheer Vidhya. Love that the poha still has the bite and is not completely disintegrated in the milk. Such a simple and traditional recipe for the festival season.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2019 at 9:30 am

        Thanks, Pavani. :-)

        Reply
    6. Harini Rupanagudi says

      October 13, 2019 at 5:13 pm

      Simple and flavorful kheer Srividhya. I have only added camphor to boondi laddu but always forget about it while I make kheers :) Need to remember it next time.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2019 at 9:35 am

        Please try it out Harini. You will definitely like it.

        Reply
    7. Usha says

      October 13, 2019 at 4:43 pm

      5 stars
      Even I never tried campor in payasam. Aval payasam looks delicious

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2019 at 9:31 am

        Usha, please give it a try. I am sure you will like it.

        Reply
    8. Rajani says

      October 13, 2019 at 12:19 pm

      I grew up eating aval for after school snacks. My grandma would add jaggery, coconut and ghee to washed aval. Aval in payasam was introduced to me much much much later.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 14, 2019 at 9:37 am

        Same here. Aval soaked in milk and sugar was my after school snack for quite some time. This kheer is an enhanced version of that. :-)

        Reply
    9. Amara says

      October 10, 2019 at 8:21 pm

      Aval Payasam looks delicious Vidhya, never tried adding edible camphor in payasam. I’m sure it gives a wonderful aroma. Will give it a try next time.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        October 10, 2019 at 8:43 pm

        Yeah, it adds a nice flavor. Please do try. I am sure you will love it.

        Reply

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