Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Palpayasam
Palpayasam (Rice Flour Dumplings in Sweet Milk)

Palpayasam

Rice Flour Dumplings in Sweet Milk
VegetarianOrigin KeralaPrep 1 hour, plus cooling timeCook 30 minutesMakes 15

Crisp fried rice-flour dumplings soaked in a rich, cardamom-and-nutmeg-scented reduced milk syrup. It can be enjoyed warm or well chilled.

Finishing sweet spices

3.3 gStirred into the reduced milk off the heat (step 4)
01
Green cardamom pod · Elaichiground
2.2 g1 teaspoon
spice
02
Nutmeg · Jaiphalground
1.1 g½ teaspoon
spice
Keep ground together in a small bowl.

Everything else

01
Rice flour · Chawal ka atta
200 g
flour
02
Peanut oil · Mungfali Ka Telplus more for deep-frying
40 g3 tablespoons
oil/fat
03
Milk · Doodh
1034 g1 l
dairy
04
Granulated sugar · Cheeni
125 g
sweetener

Method

  1. Combine 200 g rice flour with 40.5 g peanut oil in a large bowl, working it through with your fingers, then pour in just enough water to bring everything together into a soft dough.
  2. Transfer the dough to a lightly dusted surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 15 equal portions and shape each into a smooth sphere.
  3. Heat a generous amount of peanut oil for deep-frying in a heavy pan or kadhai to 180°C/350°F, or until a bread cube browns in 30 seconds. Fry the dumplings individually for 2 to 3 minutes until evenly golden, then remove and drain on paper towels.
  4. Bring 1034 g milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot and simmer for roughly 30 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in 125 g granulated sugar and continue boiling until the liquid reduces to one-third of its starting volume.
  5. Stir in the finishing sweet spices, take the pan off the heat, and allow the milk to cool until lukewarm.
  6. Submerge the fried dumplings in the lukewarm spiced milk and let them steep for several minutes before serving warm or chilled.

Don't have something?

Rice flour
  • Cornflour

    Use about 60–70% of the weight for thickening; for coatings use the same weight but the crust is denser.

  • Plain flour

    Use the same weight for coatings; contains gluten, browns faster and is less crisp.

  • Fine semolina

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; coarser texture and needs a short rest.

Peanut oil
  • Vegetable oil

    Use equal weight. Offers a similar neutral base and high smoke point, ideal for deep-frying and high-heat tadkas.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight, but heat to smoking point and cool slightly before using. Adds a sharp, pungent flavour that alters the dish significantly.

Milk
  • Whole milk

    Use equal weight; provides the standard rich dairy fat and body expected in creamy Indian bases.

  • Single cream

    Dilute 3 parts cream with 1 part water to match the weight; yields a richer, glossier gravy that resists curdling.

  • Plain yogurt

    Whisk thoroughly and use equal weight; adds extra body and a mild pleasant acidity, best added off the heat.

Granulated sugar
  • Jaggery

    Use equal weight; grate or shave finely so it dissolves rapidly, giving a warm, caramel-like sweetness and slightly darker sauce.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Nutmeg
  • Ground nutmeg

    Use equal weight, or roughly 1/2 teaspoon for half a whole nutmeg. Stir in near the end of cooking as pre-ground loses aroma quickly.

  • Mace blade

    Use about 70% of the weight, finely ground. Mace comes from the same fruit and provides a very similar but slightly lighter, more floral warmth.

  • Ground mace

    Use equal weight. Delivers a slightly sharper, more delicate sweetness to rich kormas and biryanis.

Similar dishes

Payesh
Sweet Rice & Milk
Payesh is less sweet than this dish and tastes purely of cardamom without the warm nutmeg notes.
  • Same: Both dishes use milk simmered with granulated sugar and flavored with green cardamom pods.
  • Different: Payesh is a slowly simmered rice pudding that lacks the nutmeg, peanut oil, and fried rice-flour dumplings of this dish.
Sheer Birinj
Regal Milk & Rice Dessert
Sheer Birinj is richer, heavier, and floral-scented, whereas this dish has a lighter milk syrup with a warm nutmeg note.
  • Same: Both desserts sweeten reduced cow's milk with granulated sugar, flavor it with green cardamom pods, and rely on rice as the starch base.
  • Different: Sheer Birinj simmers whole basmati rice with ghee, khoya, clotted cream, cashew paste, and floral water, whereas this dish uses rice-flour dumplings fried in peanut oil and spiced with nutmeg.
Kheer
Rice Pudding
Kheer tastes creamy and soft with floral saffron-kewra aroma, while this dish tastes of reduced cardamom-nutmeg milk with fried rice-flour dumplings.
  • Same: Kheer and this dish are both sweet milk-based Indian desserts sweetened with sugar and scented with green cardamom.
  • Different: Kheer cooks whole rice in milk, while this dish uses fried rice-flour dumplings soaked in milk; Kheer adds saffron, kewra, pistachio, almond and silver leaf, and lacks this dish's peanut oil, nutmeg and dumpling method.
Phirni
Milk & Rice Dessert
Phirni offers a delicate floral sweetness with a smooth, custard-like texture, whereas this dish tastes of warm spices with the contrast of soaked fried dumplings.
  • Same: Phirni shares a sweet milk and rice base with this dish.
  • Different: Phirni simmers ground rice directly into the milk without using peanut oil to fry dumplings, and it flavors the pudding with kewra or rosewater instead of cardamom and nutmeg.