Varagu kasa kasa payasam(kodo millet poppy seeds kheer)

First and foremostly happy pongal to all my friends!!!It's millets everywhere and all are posting many recipes on millets .though I have been using millets for more than two years now ,I still didn't post many recipes of millets and hence this pongal seems to be an apt occasion for a millet recipe.My mom used to make kasa kasa payasam and we used to like it a lot and kasa kasa or poppy seeds has a lot of health benefits too.So this recipe is a modification of the kasa kasa(poppy seeds ) payasam as I have added varagu or kodo millet to this payasam ,adding more goodness to the dish.It is very healthy and rich in taste and texture.

Serves:3

Preparation time:45 mins

Ingredients:

Kasa kasa or Poppy seeds-2 tbsp

Varagu or kodo millet-2 tbsp

Coconut(grated)-2 tbsp

Milk-1/2 Litre 

Sugar-1/4 cup

Almonds-4

Cashews-8-10

Raisins-8

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Ghee-1 tbsp

Procedure:

1.Soak poppy seeds,varagu ,4 cashews,almonds for half an hour and grind it along with coconut to a fine paste.

2.Boil half liter of milk till it reduces to half of its quantity .

3.Add the ground paste and sugar and allow it boils in low flame for another 8 mins till it thickens.

4.Add the cardamom powder and switch off the flame.

5.Heat ghee in a pan and add the remaining cashews and raisins and roast them till golden brown and add it to the payasam.Serve hot or cold.

Tips:

* Increase the sugar quantity if you want it very sweet.

*Addition of almonds adds a nice flavour to the kheer so don't avoid it.

*You can replace sugar with jaggery but strain it and cool the jaggery dissolved in water before adding it to the milk.otherwise milk might curdle.

*Instead of coconut you can also add 1/4 cup of coconut milk.

*If the payasam thickens then add hot milk just before serving.