Rice Kneer Pudding

 

Rice Kheer is a cherished North Indian dessert, where basmati rice simmers gently in sweetened milk, enhanced with cardamom, saffron, and nuts. This creamy delight is perfect for festivals and celebrations. My dear friend’s family's heirloom recipe guarantees you'll savor every spoonful of this aromatic treat and beg for seconds!

Ingredients

¼ cup basmati rice

1-liter whole milk – 4 cups

6 tablespoons sugar, or add as required

½ teaspoon green cardamom powder or 5 to 6 green cardamoms powdered in a mortar and pestle 

1 pinch saffron strands or 14 to 16 saffron strands

1 tablespoon chopped or sliced almonds or blanched almonds

1 tablespoon chopped or sliced cashews

1 tablespoon chopped or sliced unsalted pistachios

1 tablespoon golden raisins

Instructions

Rinse ¼ cup basmati rice a couple of times till the water runs clear of the starch.

Then soak the rice in enough water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Blanching almonds – Heat water in a small pan or pot. When the water comes to a boil, switch off the heat and then add 10 to 12 almonds to it.

Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes. Then peel and slice almonds. This is optional. 

Cooking rice

Meanwhile, when the rice grains are soaking, take whole or full-fat milk in a heavy, wide pan or saucepan, or wok.

Keep the pan on a low to medium-low heat. Stir at intervals so that the milk does not stick at the bottom of the pan.

Let the milk come to a boil.

Take 1 tablespoon of milk from the pan in a small bowl. Let the milk become warm. Then add a few saffron strands to the milk. Keep aside.

After the milk begins to boil, drain all the water from the rice and add it to the hot boiling milk. Mix very well.

Simmer and cook rice on a low heat. No need to cover the pan when the rice is cooking.

Cook the rice grains till they are 50% done or half-cooked.

Then add sugar. You can add more or less sugar according to your preferences. Mix the sugar in the milk with a spoon.

Continue to cook rice on a low to medium-low heat. Stir at intervals. Simmer till the rice is almost cooked.

Making rice kheer

Then add ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder. Add blanched and peeled sliced almonds and chopped cashews, and sliced pistachios. Mix well.

Then add the saffron-infused milk.

Again, mix and continue to cook on a low flame till the rice kheer thickens and the rice grains have completely cooked.

Switch off the heat when the rice grains are completely cooked. The kheer will also thicken. On cooling, rice kheer thickens more. Scrape milk solids from sides and add to kheer.

Lastly, add 1 tablespoon of golden raisins. At this time, you can add 1 tablespoon rose water or kewra water to the kheer.

Pour the kheer into individual serving bowls. You can serve the rice kheer, hot or warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftover rice kheer in a closed container and eat it in 1 to 2 days.

You can enjoy it cold or warm it before serving. If the kheer has become very thick, then add a splash of milk and reheat it until warm.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Ashford University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.                                                                                                                                            

Indian Cuisine, Kilbride, Potpourri of Frugality, Indian Dessert Cuisine