Pear Payasam with Malpua

Method

1. To prepare pear  payasam, boil 2 cups milk in a non-stick pan.
2. Meanwhile drain and grind the rice in a mixer with some water to a coarse paste. Add it to the boiling milk, mix and cook for a minute.
3. Discard stem and bottom of a USA Pear, peel and chop finely. Add it to payasam mixture, mix and cook for 3-5 minutes.
4. To prepare malpua, take flour in a bowl. Add baking powder and rabdi and whisk. Add some milk and whisk well to a smooth batter.
5. Heat sufficient ghee in a kadai.
6. Add saffron to the batter and whisk. Add ½ tsp cardamom powder and whisk well.
7. Add castor sugar to payasam mixture and mix. Add remaining cardamom powder, mix and cook till sugar melts.
8. Heat sugar syrup in another non-stick pan. Switch off heat.
9. Put a ladle of malpua  batter in hot ghee and shallow-fry, turning sides, till evenly golden on both sides. Drain and soak in hot sugar syrup for a minute. Make more malpuas with the remaining batter.
10. Finely slice blanched pistachios.
11. Transfer soaked  malpuas onto a plate and halve. Put halved malpuas equally in 4 martini glasses and pour some pear payasam over them.
12. Serve immediately garnished with sliced pistachios and saffron strands.

Additional Tips and Tricks