Quinoa Paayasam

Ever since my mom laid eyes on quinoa, she's wanted to make some paayasam (sweetened Indian porridge) with it. Not sure why quinoa triggered that thought in her. But, anyway, she recently acted on it and made some simple and "healthy" quinoa paayasam to mark an occasion.

The porridge tasted really really good, not to mention it is extremely straightforward and simple to prepare! It is truly a guilt-free dessert if you use palm sugar instead of jaggery.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1 cup uncooked quinoa
2. 1.75 -2 cups grated jaggery / 2.5 cups palm sugar (depends on how much of a sweet tooth you have)
3. 1 cup or so milk, as needed
4. 1.25 teaspoons powdered cardamom
5. 1 teaspoon ghee / clarified butter

Preparation:

1.  Dry roast quinoa until fragrant and toasted
2. Add 2.75 cups of water to the quinoa and cook until done. When quinoa is cooked, there will be some extra water/moisture in it. 
3. Add the jaggery or palm sugar (or brown sugar) and melt/mix with the quinoa over medium heat. Let the jaggery melt and boil and thicken a little - takes about 10-12 minutes. Once the jaggery melts, reduce the heat to low-medium and wait for it to boil and thicken slightly. 
4. Add milk - the quantity of milk depends on the how you like the consistency of the porridge (Keep in mind - the porridge will thicken slightly as it cools). There is no science to this! You can even add some half&half or cream instead of milk to give the porridge a creamy edge. After adding the milk, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and mix in ghee and powdered cardamom. 

Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

Notes:

You can also roast some raisins and nuts in clarified butter and add to the porridge. You can also add some saffron for a lovely hue and fragrance. 

Add some melted chocolate or dulce de luche or other flavorings to infuse more flavor and taste