Semiya Paayasam

Semiya (vermicelli) paayasam is a sweet and yummy pudding. Milk and sugar is reduced together with cooked vermicelli to make a lovely and festive pudding. 

Ingredients:

1. 3/4 -1 cup uncooked roasted vermicelli (broken in 1 inch pieces; Roast the vermicelli in a little bit of ghee till it turns reddish-brown)
2. 3/4 cup boiling water
3. 3 1/4 cups warm milk
4. 3/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like the pudding; I usually add 2/3 cup)
5. 2 teaspoons ghee / clarified butter
6. 1 tablespoon worth broken cashew nuts (unsalted, of course)
7. 1 teaspoon raisins
8. 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg / edible camphor
9. 1/8 teaspoon saffron 
10. 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Preparation:

1. In a saucepan, add the vermicelli and hot water and stir on medium heat as the vermicelli softens and cooks. 
2. When the vermicelli is almost cooked and/or when there is hardly any water, add 1 cup of milk. Stir together and let the vermicelli continue to cook and stew in the milk.
3. After about 5 minutes, add 1/3 cup of sugar and stir well. Keep stewing on medium-heat.
4. After another 5 minutes, add 1 more cup of milk and the saffron. Stir well and continue to cook. 
5. When the milk reduces, add the remaining sugar and grated nutmeg, and stir well. 
6. After 2 minutes, add 1 cup of milk and stir well. After 5 minutes, check if the vermicelli is cooked and remove from heat. If not, continue to cook on low heat until it is cooked.
7. Finally, add the 1/4 cup of milk after the pudding is removed from the heat. Garnish with cardamom powder and ghee-roasted cashews and raisins.

I was told that the key to this paayasam is to alternate the sugar and milk in small batches, so that the semiya stews well and the milk reduces well to a yummy consistency. The pudding thickens as it cools. So dilute with a little bit of warm milk (if needed) before serving. The consistency of this paayasam is varied... some are watery/milky, while others are more like a traditional pudding.