Kesar Kheer

Saffron Rice Pudding

Today is 29 March 2020 the whole of India is under lockdown due to Coronavirus. The milk we had bought for our niece was lying the fridge as she was at her maternal grandfather\'s house and didn\'t know what to do with it so my sister came up with the idea of making kheer out of milk and rice. We decided that there are 3 municipal staff that come daily to pick up thrash to our colony but don\'t know if they have had proper food or not. Kheer has rice nuts milk and sugar very nutritious in such times so we made this for them. Needless to say the expression on their faces when we gave them the kheer in disposable containers said it all. Please note: If a person is allergic to nuts omit the nuts and the steps involving nuts completely.

To prep
10 hr
To cook
2 hr
Level
Hard
Servings
5

Ingredients

4-5 Cardamom pods whole
10 almonds peeled and roughly chopped
Handful of brown raisins (kishmish)
Handful of cashews roughly chopped
Handful of pistachios roughly chopped
Handful of charoli (chironji) (Buchanania Lanzan)
2 tablespoon oil for frying dry fruits and nuts
750 ml litre Milk
20-30 or a pinchful strands of Saffron
1 cooking spoon size + 2 teaspoon sugar
10 tablespoon milk cream
1/4 teaspoon viola vanilla essence
2 tablespoon American dry fruits milk masala
1 teaspoon oil for making kheer
1/4 cup or 50 gms Full grain basmati rice
1 teaspoon American dry fruits milk masala

Method

Soak rice overnight in water. Make sure water fully submerges the rice and cover it.

Morning at the time of preparing kheer rinse the rice until water turns clear.

Drain all excess water.

Take 10 almonds boil it in a bowl of water and keep them aside to cool down.

Once cooled peel the skin of the almonds and roughly chop them up.

Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan on the highest flame setting for a couple of seconds.

Lower the gas to medium flame setting and add almonds pistachios cashews raisins charoli in oil for a couple of minutes.

Keep stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn.

After the raisins bloat up soaking the oil turn off the gas but keep stirring constantly for a minute so that it doesn’t get burnt. Keep it aside to cool down.

Boil milk and keep aside to cool down.

Take a deep bottom pan (optional non stick) add 1 teaspoon of oil to it and then add the soaked & drained rice.

Add 3-4 green cardamom pods.

Toss the rice with the oil and cardamom for 2 minutes stirring constantly so it doesn\'t burn.

Add fresh milk cream, half milk, and sugar mix well on highest flame setting for 2 minutes.

Check for sweetness and the amount of milk.

Keep stirring every 2 minutes till milk boils and starts to bubble.

After about 10-12 minutes the milk will come to a boil. However stir in between every 2 minutes so that milk doesn’t stuck to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Add the other half of milk and mix well and keep the gas on highest flame setting.

Keep boiling till the milk boils and bubbles for around 25 minutes till the rice is fully cooked and the kheer is reduced to half the quantity. However stir in between every 2 minutes so that milk doesn’t stuck to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Keep stirring every minute in between.

Once the milk comes to boil and bubbles lower the gas on medium flame setting and keep boiling.

Keep stirring every minute in between till the milk reduces to 1/2 of the original quantity and thickens.

If you want your kheer to be really thick cook more for 15 minutes.

Switch off the gas and keep stirring for a couple of minutes so it doesn’t burn.

Don\'t worry about the thickness or runny part of the kheer as it will continue to thicken as it cools down.

After shutting off the gas keep stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes so that it doesn\'t burn.

Add vanilla essence and mix well.

Add milk masala and mix well.

Set aside and let the kheer cool down.

After 2 minutes add half the fried nuts mix well.

At the time of serving sprinkle the other half of the nuts on top and serve hot or chilled.