Nei Payasam

Ghee-rich jaggery rice payasam — short-grain raw rice fried in a generous quantity of pure cow's ghee until each grain turns opaque and faintly golden, then boiling water added and the rice simmered until completely soft, at which point dissolved jaggery in water is added along with cardamom and dried ginger (chukku) and the whole reduced until thick. More ghee is added progressively during cooking; cashews and raisins fried in ghee are folded in at the end. The nei (ghee) payasam is darker, richer, and more intensely flavoured than the milk-based arisi payasam; the jaggery gives it a deep brown colour and molasses notes. The definitive payasam offering at Kerala and Tamil Nadu temples — particularly associated with the Guruvayur and Sabarimala traditions; considered the most auspicious payasam for major vows.