Paal Payasam/Kheer in Instant Pot

Paal Payasam/Kheer in Instant Pot

Paal Payasam is an Indian rice pudding or kheer recipe that can easily be made in the Instant Pot. Serve this easy yet delicious milk pudding on any festive day!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Servings people

Calories 157.99kcal

Author Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

2 tablespoon ghee
7-8 almonds
7-8 cashews
7-8 pistachios
6-7 raisins
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
¼ cup rice
2 cups milk
¼ teaspoon saffron
2 cups coffee creamer plain
1-2 tablespoon mixed chopped nuts for garnish

Instructions

Turn on the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add ghee to the pot and fry mixed chopped nuts like cashews, almonds, and pistachios along with raisins for a minute.
You can also roughly chop them and add. I use a nut chopper for that and it is very useful.
Add raw rice to the pot and saute it for another 30-40 seconds. I keep it whole but if you want you can coarsely grind it if you so wish.
Then add sugar to the pot.
Followed by milk and creamer. Bring it to a boil. then hit the cancel button. Add half a cup of water while pressure cooking. This will prevent the milk from burning at the bottom of the pot and you will not get the burn message.
Close the Instant Pot with the lid. Position the valve in the seal position. Select Porridge mode and cook it for 20 minutes.
When the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally. Then open the lid.
Mash the rice a bit to make the kheer more creamy.
Top it with saffron, and cardamom powder. Mix it all together and cook it for a minute in saute mode again. If it is too thick, add little milk and mix it all together.
Paal Payasam can be served warm or chilled. Garnish it with chopped nuts, saffron, or even edible flowers before serving.

Notes

To make it in the Instant Pot, there is no need to soak the rice prior. But if making it on the stovetop, then soak it for 20-30 minutes, pat dry and then saute in ghee.

Roasting rice in ghee gives it a nice toasty aroma. Do not skip that step. You can also add sugar along with saffron and cardamom instead of adding it before.

Do not add too much rice else it will become a thick rice pudding. Adjust the sugar quantity to your liking. Ghee can be substituted with any cooking oil or butter.

Add half a cup of water while pressure cooking. This will prevent the milk from burning at the bottom of the pot.

Milk can curdle if the Instant pot and the sealing ring are not clean before starting to cook. I keep two separate sealing rings - one for savory and one for dessert recipes.

Always release the pressure naturally. If you do a quick release, milk will splatter all over.

When you open the lid after the kheer is cooked, check the consistency. If it is too thick, add little milk or creamer, mix it all together and cook in saute mode for a minute.

If the payasam is on the watery side, you can add 2-3 tablespoon butter or ghee and bring it to a boil by turning on the saute mode.

The final consistency of this Indian rice pudding should be thick and creamy yet of drinking consistency.

To make it nut-free, just skip adding all the nuts. Raisins can also be skipped if you don't want to add them. In fact, the traditional recipe is naturally nut-free.

Nutrition