Thengai arisi payasam is rice and coconut cooked with jaggery and coconut milk. It's a kind of kheer where the rice is soaked and then coarsely grounded with coconut and later flavored with jaggery syrup and topped with fried nuts and dry fruits. Thengai payasam is made during the tamil new year. Among many payasam recipes, this thengai payasam happens to be my favorite during the festive season. I often use to enjoy this delicacy sent by our tamil neighbors but never got a chance to learn to cook this. Finally got the recipe at sharmi's passion and thought of giving it a try. I am so happy that the payasam turned out exactly what i use to have long back in my childhood.