Barley Payasam/Kheer is a delicious, mouthwatering Indian dessert using pearl barley grains, coconut milk and jaggery made super easy and super quick in a pressure cooker! Enjoy it warm, hot or chilled depending upon your liking!
WHAT IS PAYASAM/KHEER?
Payasam as the south Indians call it or Kheer as the north Indians call it is a milk based dessert which is almost always made when we want to celebrate any occasion, festival, puja or when our tastebuds crave for something Indian, sweet, quick and delicious!
There are a variety of kheers/payasams Indians make; it could be using rice (rice kheer), dry, roasted vermicelli (vermicelli payasam/kheer) or even some lentils like chana dal/split black gram or mung bean dal too! Why, we even love a cracked wheat/bulgur payasam or dessert!
Lentils, rice, cracked wheat or vermicelli are roasted in ghee and then cooked with some milk and sugar/jaggery with crushed green cardamom to aromatize the whole dessert!
But being from south India, where coconut groves are in plenty, we love to enjoy our payasams cooked in coconut milk especially if it is freshly squeezed/pressed. We love it so much, we are willing to enjoy it unflavored too; no added sugar or jaggery or any other sweetener like in this Konkani style Cheppi Kheer; rice cooked in thick coconut milk flavored with just a piece of fresh turmeric leaf!
BARLEY PAYASAM:
Today, I will sharing my current favorite, Barley Payasam, a healthy coconut milk dessert with chewy bites of cooked pearl barley, sweetened with jaggery; the unrefined version of cane sugar which is much healthier than plain sugar, and a whiff of crushed green cardamom powder!
Here, you can use freshly pressed or squeezed coconut milk or canned coconut milk like I have in this dessert.
Pearl barley is one of the most treasured and oldest grains which has again started to appear in kitchens around the world!
High in dietary fiber, B-complex, vitamins and minerals, this chewy textured grain is delicious and actually, my whole family preferred this in our payasam rather than the regular cracked wheat/bulgur we use in payasams or desserts! We have fallen in love with the bite it gives with each spoonful!
HOW TO MAKE BARLEY PAYASAM:
As barley is a hardy grain which needs a bit of cooking, I have made the process much easier and quicker using a pressure cooker.
Just pressure cook washed and drained barley until soft, add jaggery powder and coconut milk (freshly squeezed or canned), bring to a boil and simmer!
Add a dash of crushed and powdered green cardamoms and for more texture, some ghee or oil roasted (if vegan), nuts and raisins , stir and enjoy hot, warm or totally chilled like I love it!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Barely payasam is such a quick dessert especially when made in a pressure cooker, you can enjoy it any time of the year, to celebrate any occasion or just like that when your tastebuds crave for a delicious dessert!
I am going to make it again for Sankranti this year (January 14, 2021), the harvest festival of India, when people, especially the farmers pray and pay ode to the Sun God "Surya Devta" for bestowing his bountiness on them for that year's harvest and share it with my FB group Healthy Wellthy Cuisines for the Sankranti theme.
It can be served hot, warm or chilled, depending upon your liking!
We are so in love with this grain, it is going to end up in my pulaos, biryanis or even salads from now on!
Enjoy Foodies and Happy Eating!
If you have a sweet tooth like me, you are going to love these too:
- Quinoa Payasam with Coconut Milk
- Dates and Oats Payasam
- Vegan Lauki Kheer with Coconut Milk
- Mango Phirni with Almonds
BARLEY PAYASAM/KHEER with COCONUT MILK
Ingredients
- ½ cup barley pearls/pearl barley
- 1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
- ¾ to 1 cup jaggery powder unrefined cane sugar or your preferred sweetener
- 6 to 8 green Cardamoms deskinned and powdered
FOR GARNISH:
- Few cashew nuts (or almonds, pistachios etc.)
- Raisins
- Ghee/oil for shallow frying
Instructions
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Wash pearl barley well and drain.
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Transfer to a pressure cooker pan, add 2 cups water and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles or on medium low for 15 minutes after first whistle in a stove top pressure cooker.
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If using the INSTANT POT, add 2 cups water and pressure cook on high with seal for 15 minutes and then NPR (naturally pressure release).
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Once the pressure drops naturally, open the pan, add jaggery powder, starting with 3/4 cup and mix well. Do feel free to add more jaggery as needed.
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Bring to a boil on high (or saute button in Instant Pot) and then simmer on medium for a couple of minutes, stirring often.
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Reduce the heat to low and stir in coconut milk and cardamom powder.
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Bring to a simmer again on medium low and boil for 5 minutes. After adding coconut milk, try not to cook on high heat; the milk tends to split sometimes.
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When using the Instant Pot, feel free to cancel the saute button for a few minutes if you feel the pot is too hot while adding the coconut milk. Turn it on after you have stirred in the coconut milk thoroughly.
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Do a taste test and adjust the amount of jaggery and add more coconut milk and/or water to get the right consistency. This payasam thickens as it cools.
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To make it more luscious, garnish with ghee or oil roasted (if vegan) chopped cashew nuts and raisins.
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Mix in the nuts and raisins and serve mouthwatering, delicious, healthy and vegan Barley Payasam hot or chilled.
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Enjoy and Happy Eating!
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the amount of jaggery according to personal taste.
- For a quicker dessert, you can soak the barley in water for a couple of hours.
- If you love a softer texture for barley, pressure cook for 5 more minutes.
- Same dessert can be made with bulgur/cracked wheat, chana dal, sago pearls, dried vermicelli, rice, mun bean dal etc.
- This dessert thickens as it cools, so add more coconut milk, regular milk or water as needed just before serving.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
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Barley payasam looks so delicious and healthy. Coconut milk elevates the taste of the kheer.
Barley Pyasam looks so delicious, perfect festive treat.I use barley daliya for porridge,very healthy dessert for festivals and we can enjoy for breakfast too.
Barley payasam looks so delicious and packed with so many benefits. Loved the idea of using barley along with coconut milk and jaggery.
Barley payasam looks so delicious and nutritious. Perfect for all sweet lovers . Lovely write up too.
Never used barley pearl so its new to me. I am sure it taste heavenly. Specially perfect for those who have lactose allergy. Loved your presentation and detailed write up about different types of kheer.