Recipes / Rice kheer
All over India
Rice kheer
The pudding made for festivals and for no reason at all. A spoonful of rice, a litre of milk, and patience: the milk reduces and the rice breaks down until the two become one creamy thing.
- Serves
- 4 to 6
- Prep
- 5 min + 20 min soak
- Cook
- 50 min
Method
- Rinse the rice and soak it for 20 minutes, then drain.
- Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the rice and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom and sides, until the rice is completely soft and the milk has thickened and reduced by about a third.
- Lightly crush some of the rice against the side of the pan to make it creamier.
- Stir in the sugar, cardamom, saffron and most of the nuts and raisins. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve warm, or chill it for a few hours. Scatter the rest of the nuts, and pomegranate seeds if you like, on top.
Roop’s notes
- Kheer thickens a lot as it cools. Take it off the heat while it still looks a little thin.
- Add the sugar only once the rice is soft. Sugar added early stops the rice from softening.
