I came across the recipe for Paneer Kheer/Paneer Payasam in a Tamil Magazine. The original recipe required for pressure cooking paneer, so I modified it. It was a hit with my husband the first time itself, in spite of the fact that he is not a big fan of paneer. The kheer tasted like Basundhi, because of the the grated paneer. So I modified my recipe again, by increasing the quantity of paneer so that it would have the exact texture of Basundi. This is my mother-in-law's favorite too, so she asked me to make this for Ugadi. This time I made another modification, I used Evaporated Milk instead of regular milk. Wow! It was the best ever.
Ingredients:
1. Evaporated Milk - 2 cans (I used 1 can of whole milk and another can of 2% milk. You can use regular milk also, around 5 cups, whole milk preferably)
2. Paneer - I used ¾th of a 400 gm pack. (If you want basundhi like texture you need ¾ths or else change it according to your taste)
3. Sweetened Milk - ½ can (or as per your taste)
4. Sugar - couple teaspoons to mix it with the grated paneer.
5. MTR Badam (Almond) Mix - This is optional. (updated: a couple of teaspoons is enough) The original recipe only called for sugar to be mixed with the paneer, I thought mixing the badam mix would give a rich flavor. If you don't have that in hand you can always use saffron strands and the other regular garnishing and flavoring like cardamom powder, pistachios etc.
Procedure:
1. Grate 200 gm of paneer (half of the pack), add sugar and the Badam powder and mix everything thoroughly.
2. In a heavy bottomed vessel (this one is very important) add both the cans of milk and let it boil. The color of evaporated milk was so good, I strongly feel that Pal (Milk) Payasam would taste excellent if made with evaporated milk instead of regular milk.
3. Once it starts boiling add half the can of sweetened condensed milk and let it boil.
4. After a couple of minutes add the grated paneer and let it cook together with the milk. After sometime the paneer would have dissolved, not entirely though. You can either stop at this stage for paneer kheer or continue to take it to the next level.
5. If you decide to go with basundhi, grate the remaining paneer (depending upon how much you want or the texture you want. I used another ¼th) directly into the vessel and let it simmer for just 3-5 minutes. Switch off the heat and it will thicken by itself and it will have the exact texture of basundhi and will taste exactly like basundhi. I had the pistachios and almond mixture I prepared for baklava, so I mixed that one too. Needless to say it was very very very delicious!
Update:
If you decide to make basundi, you can add ¾ths of the paneer straight away while the condensed milk mixture is boiling. I asked my friend to try this method and she told me that it came out very well. Keep it on the stove for another 3-5 minutes and turn it off. The kheer will start to thicken and you will get the basundi texture.
sandhya says
I donno when u made all this, but know wat? I have becoema great fan of urs madhu!!!i have clicked open all of ur photos jus to see how fantastic they all look!!!do u have a fan club? nominate me as the president please!!!
sanchitha says
Hmmmm I did not check. I'm sure i made some mistake. Till the panner payasam stage it looked very good but when i tasted it there was a little tangy taste. does that mean the paneer was expired?
sanchitha says
There is water above the thickened mix! is it spoilt?
Sanchitha, I'm very sorry about it. Mine looked nice and thick exactly like regular Basundi itself.
I'm not sure what happened exactly, but maybe the mix got curdled. It's just a guess though. I have tried this Basundhi a couple of times before posting here and after that also and did not have any problem at all and so did my friend too. Did you check the expiry date of milk/paneer?
sanchitha says
Hey,
I tried the basundi... I dunno if I did it right but After I added the remaining paneer to the payasam and let it simmer for 4 minutes. When i came back and saw it looked like the whole thing had gotten spoilt. I'm not sure if thts how its supposed to look.
Madhuram says
@Priya: Welcome to my blog. Thank you for taking the time to leave your valuble comments. Do try it, you won't be disappointed.
Priya says
Hi Madhuram,
This is my first visit to your site. Everything looks tempting to give a try. I love basundi and will definitely make it your way soon.
SS says
Popped in to say I tasted Smitha's Basundi and it was a hit 😎
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying it Smitha and I'm also glad that it came out well.
Smitha says
I tried your basundi recipe and it was a hit in the party today. Kudos to you for the awesome recipe.
Madhuram says
Sure Sia, anytime.
sia says
i guess i'll come empty stomached when u make this next time 😉
Madhuram says
Thanks Jayashree, Indira, Sushma and Roma for stopping by. I'm very glad that all of you like my recipe.
Roma says
Looks simply delicious!
sushma says
hey luks so tempting with nuts
Indira says
That looks so inviting,and tempting. I'm trying to empty the glass with an imaginary straw. 🙂