Kheer

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Are festivals really anything without a bowl of fragrant, creamy, nutty Kheer? No, right? I like mine chilled, how about you? Growing up, kheer was a regular feature at our home, because we celebrated a lot of festivals! Every few weeks there would be festival or a vrat (fast) or some pooja where offerings were made to the Gods. And every few weeks there were homemade sweets…laddoos, kheer, meethe poode, meethi matthi, peele chawal, halwa to name a few  😋 A few of these I still make at my home but some faded with time. I intend to start making all those things once again so I can re-live those memories  😊
For those of you who don’t know what kheer is (like that’s possible!), it’s basically rice pudding. It’s made with full-fat milk & short grained rice that’s cooked on low flame for over an hour to get a creamy, delicious consistency. It’s also loaded with nuts such as almonds, cashews, raisins, coconut etc. There are quite a few variations of kheer like Sabudana Kheer, Sooji ki Kheer, Gulkand Kheer, Vermicelli Kheer, Millet Kheer etc. I promise to make, shoot & update all of these on the blog soon!
For now, try out this Rice Kheer, the simplest & best version there is  😃

Kheer
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Kheer

Course: DessertCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

A very popular sweet & creamy rice pudding. Made primarily with rice & milk.

Ingredients

  • Rice (short grain): 1/4 cup

  • Milk (full cream): 1.5 litres

  • Sugar: 5tbsp

  • Cardamom: 2

  • Almonds: A handful; blanched & slivered

  • Saffron: 5-7 strands

  • Silver varak for garnish

Directions

  • Wash the rice properly & soak it in water for about 30 minutes.
  • Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan. Once it comes to a boil, add the crushed cardamom to it.
  • Drain the rice & add it to the milk. Turn the flame to low & let the kheer simmer for an hour. Remember to keep stirring in between to ensure the milk doesn’t stick to the bottom.
  • After 45 minutes, the milk would have started thickening. Add the sugar at this point & keep stirring.
  • Leave it on the stove for another 30 minutes.
  • In the last 10 minutes, add the slivered almonds. Taste for sweetness.
  • The kheer can be served hot or chilled. Garnish it with silver varak & saffron strands.

Notes

  • You can add a little rose water too, for flavour.
  • A variety of nuts can be added, including pistachios, cashews, raisins etc. We like it with just almonds  😊
  • If you like your kheer extra sweet, adding some condensed milk would be a good idea. It not only sweetens the kheer but also thickens it.
  • Saffron strands, rose petals, chopped dry fruit make good garnishes.

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