Amaranth Khasa Khasaa Payasam

#AmaranthKhasaKhasaaPayasam : #Amaranth is a leafy vegetable ( greens ) and a seed. Amaranth is nothing but widely used leafy vegetable called Thandu keerai or Mulai keerai in Tamil. The seeds of this plant are called amarnath seeds or amaranth in Tamil. It is called Rajkir Kara in Chhattisgarh.

Amaranth Seeds

There are many varieties of amaranth. Some are cultivated for food and some are grown as ornamental plants and some grow in wild. The leaves of some amaranth are in green in color, some are green and red in the middle and fully red in color. The whole plant is edible. The leaves are used as leafy vegetable, the stem is also cooked and the seeds are also used to make dishes. Even the white roots are cleaned, peeled and used in the preparation of sambar. Some amaranth flowers are strikingly beautiful and red in color and which produce lots of seeds. All the seeds are edible whether its cultivated or garden or wild varieties .

To know more about the plant
Amaranth Plant

Amaranth may be a promising source of protein to those who are gluten sensitive, because unlike the protein found in grains such as wheat and rye, its protein does not contain gluten. According to a 2007 report, amaranth compares well in nutrient content with gluten-free vegetarian options such as buckwheat, corn, millet, wild rice, oats and quinoa.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth

Ingredients :
1 Tbsp                                      Amaranth Seeds
1 pinch                                      Salt
1/4 cup ( adjust )                       Jaggery

To grind :
1/4 Cup                                   Coconut scrap
1/2 Tsp                                    Khus khus
2                                              Cardamom
1 small piece                            Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp                                    Rice or rice flour
3                                             Cashew nuts roasted
6                                             Kismis ( Prunes ) roasted

Method :
Grind the given ingredients into a fine paste and keep aside.
Take amaranth seeds in a small vessel. Wash and strain through a tea filter.
Now add 1/2 cup of water.
Take a cup of water in a pressure cooker. Keep the vessel containing washed amaranth seeds inside the cooker.
Close and put weight on. Cook on high flame for 3 whistles.
Then keep the burner at SIM and cook for 3 minutes. Keep aside.

Meantime dissolve jaggery in hot water and filter to remove impurities.
Keep aside.

Take cooked amaranth seeds in a big vessel and mash with a ladle.
Now add jaggery mixed water and bring to boil.
Keep stirring for 2 minutes.

Now add the prepared coconut paste.
Allow to simmer for 7 to 10 minutes until all blend together and come to required consistency.

Switch off and transfer into small bowls.
Garnish with cashew nuts and kismis.
Enjoy hot payasam with vadai or bajji!!..
Note:

• taste depends on the type of jaggery used.
• the payasam tastes even better if the coconut paste is made only with nutmeg, coconut and khus khus.
• to make it rich simply add a tsp of thick coconut milk at the end and simmer for a minute.
• fry thin coconut slices in ghee and garnish which  enhances the taste of payasam.

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For variety of Dishes

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