Bellam Paramaannam ~ Rice Jagerry Pudding

Paramaannam literally meaning Param-Annam (Food of God), is made in most Andhra homes on special occasions and festivals. Every Indian state has its own version. Traditionally, it is made by cooking rice and milk together in an open pot for a very long time, and sweetened with jaggery. However, I always use pressure cooker, which saves time.

Spice it up with a pinch of nutmeg, and notice that the taste reaches a different new level. This is a lip smacking pudding when served warm or cold.

Ingredients
¼ cup rice, washed and soaked in water for 15-20min
½ cup grated jaggery
500 ml milk
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp ghee for frying cashew nuts
cashew nuts for garnish

Method

• Add rinsed rice to the pressure cooker along with 250 ml milk, and cook for 3-4 whistles.
• Remove the cooker lid, add the remaining milk, and cook on a medium flame until the mixture looks thick.
• Switch of the flame, add jaggery, and mix until it is blended well.
• Grate a pinch of nutmeg freshly into the pudding, and mix thoroughly. 
• Heat ghee in a small skillet, and fry cashew nuts until golden. Add the fried nuts along with the ghee to the pudding, and mix well.
• Serve warm or cold.

Note:

• Add jaggery to the mixture only after switching off the flame, else there could be a risk of milk being curdled. 
• I personally feel, jaggery and nutmeg together go very well, but if you do not like nutmeg you may even substitute with cardamom powder.