Sugar Beet Dessert - Payasam

Are you one of those people who think that Beets are only useful for making sugar because of their high sugar content? If so, you have sadly underestimated this wonderful vegetable.

Beets contain a powerful cancer-fighting pigment called Betacyanin. In addition, Beets protect against heart disease, help lower cholesterol levels, especially triglycerides by nearly 40%, and because of their high folate content, help protect against birth defects. Eating folate-rich foods is especially important during pregnancy since without adequate folate, the infant's spinal column does not develop properly and leads to a condition called neural tube defect. The daily requirement for folate is 400 micrograms. Just one cup of boiled Beets contains 136 micrograms of folate.

So here is your excuse for making this very tasty, calcium-rich, healthy, easy-to-make dessert. Try enticing your children with this payasam. They are sure to love it and ask for more. This is also a wonderful dish to make with your young children. Set them to work grating the red beet with a hand grater. They'll love the mess of having the juice run down their arms and stain their hands! Beats finger painting with chemical paints hands-down! :)

Here is what you need:
1 large beet (peeled and grated fine)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tbsp coconut powder (optional)

For the Garnish:
1 tsp cardamom powder
8 - 10 cashews (chopped)
handful golden raisins
1 tbsp butter

Here is how you make this:
Place the grated beet in a large pan. Add milk, coconut powder and sugar bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the beet is cooked soft and well blended. Remove from the stove.

In another pan, melt the butter. Add the chopped cashews and fry golden brown. Add the raisins and fry for about 20 seconds until the raisins puff up. Remove from the stove and pour the garnish over the payasam. Sprinkle cardamom powder and serve hot or cold.