God, Payasam And Mutiara

Payasam is an Indian sweet dish made with rice, rice vermicelli or sago pearls cooked in milk and sugar and often flavoured with saffron, cardamon, raisins, cashew nuts, pistachios or almonds.

Payasam Courtesy Of Kristina's Friend Vicky
Pic By Ordinary Malaysian

Here in Malaysia, sago pearls are often the preferred choice and the sweet savoury is usually only available in Indian restaurants and that too usually only on Fridays.

I have just learned from the Indonesian lady who comes in once a week to do house cleaning that Indonesians sometimes simply call the dish "mutiara" and I suspect that must be because of the sago pearls used. "Mutiara" means "pearls" in the Indonesian and Malay language. Mutiara is actually a Sankskrit word meaning "pearl strings"

But what has payasam or mutiara got to do with god?

Well, when done right, it is ambrosial as a dessert and I love it.

No wonder they offer it to the gods in Hindu temples during ceremonies and rituals.