Palada Payasam is a creamy dessert prepared in Kerala from milk, sugar, and ada, which are tiny bits of rice flakes. The soft pink colour and creamy texture make it an integral part of the traditional dish. In recent times, Palada Payasam has found its way to Onam Sadya, weddings, temples, and domestic functions as well as in cakes, cake tubs, cake jars, tres leches and cheesecakes.
The history of Palada Payasam is related to the supply of milk in the state of Kerala. In Kerala kitchens prior to the 1970s, coconut milk and jaggery payasams used to be more prevalent. Ada pradhaman, which is prepared using ada, jaggery and coconut milk, is one of the traditional favourites. Some other payasams include parippu payasam (with lentils), chakka payasam (with jackfruit) and pazham payasam (with banana).
Things started changing for the better with the advent of the White Revolution in India in the 1970s. Operation Flood is an outstanding dairy development project launched by the National Dairy Development Board. The abundant availability of milk could be a possible reason that encouraged the use of milk in Palada Payasam.
Palada started being widely accepted as well. By the post-1980s era, it was becoming quite popular, especially in the Palakkad-Thrissur-Ernakulam area. It began making its presence felt during celebrations, while the old coconut milk gradually lost ground.
What distinguishes the Palada Payasam from others is the cooking process. First of all, the milk needs to be boiled slowly and reduced for about one and a half hours before adding sugar to the mixture. After that, it needs to be boiled again for another one and a half hours.
Ada itself is made from rice. Traditionally, rice batter was spread thinly on cloth sheets, steamed and cut into small pieces. The softened ada is added only after the milk has reduced sufficiently. Cardamom provides aroma, while ghee may be added at the end. Cashews and raisins fried in ghee are sometimes used as a finishing touch.
The slow cooking process gives Palada Payasam its unique colour. When properly made, the dessert turns out to have a faint pink colour due to the caramelisation of milk sugar. The unique colour of the dessert is associated with the natural colour of the chembakapoo or champa flower.
Currently, Palada Payasam is available in many Kerala sweet shops and bakeries, as well as vegetarian restaurants serving Sadya. Temples like Guruvayur distribute payasam as prasadam, though not all varieties of payasam are available in all temples throughout the year.
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