Vellam Sadam | Sweet Jaggery Rice
Vellam sadam or vella sadam is a sweet rice made with jaggery and cooked rice. It is a common sweet made during Indian festivals such as Aadi Perukku or Maatu Pongal.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 215kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup Rice Uncooked (I used sona masoori rice)
- ¾ cup Jaggery/vellam
- 1 Tablespoon Ghee/nei
- 2 Tablespoon Cashew nut
- ¼ cup Coconut grated or finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 pinch Edible camphor/pachai karpooram optional
Instructions
Cook the rice
- Cook the rice and keep it aside to cool. I usually spread it on a plate and apply a little ghee. I cook it just as I would cook rice regularly. For the sona masoori rice, I use about 2 ½ cups to 3 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. We could use the same for this vellam sadam as well.½ cup Rice
Prepare the add-ons
- Heat about a tablespoon of ghee/nei in a pan and roast the cashew nuts and coconut until they are golden brown. I start with frying the broken cashew pieces and then when they are almost done, add the coconut pieces or grated coconut.1 Tablespoon Ghee/nei, 2 Tablespoon Cashew nut, ¼ cup Coconut
Melt the jaggery
- Remove the fried cashew and coconut on a plate and in the same pan, add the measured jaggery. I used about ¾ cup of jaggery for ½ cup of uncooked rice.¾ cup Jaggery/vellam
- Add about ½ cup of water and let the jaggery melt. Once the jaggery has melted, strain it to remove any impurities. The jaggery that I use does not have dirt, so I skip the straining. Let it come to a boil.
Make the vellam sadam
- Once the jaggery syrup boils for a couple of minutes, add the cooked and cooled rice. We don't need to watch for any kind of jaggery syrup consistency. We will boil it well and then add the rice.
- The jaggery syrup will liquefy once we add the rice. Keep mixing and break down any lumps. Cook this mixture on low to medium heat until they all combine and start to thicken (about 5 to 7 minutes).
- I added a pinch of salt to the vellam sadam. Amma always adds a little salt to sweets made with jaggery as it elevates the flavor and makes the sweetness stand out. I also added a little edible camphor. This is completely optional.⅛ teaspoon Salt, 1 pinch Edible camphor/pachai karpooram
- Once the rice and jaggery come together, add the fried cashews and coconut along with cardamom powder and mix well. Vellam sadam will continue to thicken as it cools.½ teaspoon Cardamom powder
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- I used Indian-style jaggery to make the vella sadam. If you don't have the jaggery, use brown sugar.
- I make jaggery rice with sona masoori rice. We could use basmati rice as well.
- Adjust the jaggery according to your sweetness. This measurement yields medium sweetness.
- I have used grated coconut in the vellam sadam recipe. Patti and Amma use tiny chopped coconut pieces that taste amazing and give a crunch.
- Add a pinch of salt as it elevates the flavor and sweetness of the vellam.
- If not making for neivedhiyam, this is a wonderful recipe to make dessert from leftover rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg