Variants of rice pudding have been used for both desserts and dinners across countries and cultures for centuries. In the Indian Subcontinent, when served as dessert, rice pudding is commonly called Kheer, and is commonly combined with sugar, cream, cardamom, dry fruits such as pistachios, almonds and raisins and slow-cooked for hours till it gets thick and concentrated in its flavor.
While I have a Kheer recipe that has been in our family for multiple generations, here is a fresh new one that you can try this week if you’re craving rice pudding. This particular recipe includes a common grocery store ingredient: condensed milk, and takes a quarter of the time to make. It can also be customized to your individual taste and turns out perfectly delicious every time.
What you need
4 cups whole milk
2 cans evaporated milk
1/2 cup uncooked white Basmati rice
3/4 cup sugar
1 can condensed milk
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 cup whole pistachios, crushed
Crushed nuts to garnish (pistachio + almonds)
What to do
Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Add washed Basmati rice and cook over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is very soft and mushy. Strain the rice in a fine strainer and in a separate bowl, with the back of a fork, mash it well until it looks like oatmeal.
Half way through cooking the rice, heat up the milk in a saucepan on medium-low heat until it comes to a gentle rolling simmer. Add the cardamom, the rice (when ready) and sugar. The rice will be clumpy initially, but as it soaks and cooks in the milk, it will break down. Feel free to stir/mash the rice in as much as you can, but if some clumps remain, let them be.
Now on low heat setting, gently cook the Kheer uncovered for 40 minutes. Make sure you stir every once in a while. The milk will inevitably catch at the bottom and some slightly brown bits will peel off as you stir and distribute throughout the Kheer, giving it color and taste. But if the bottom is browning too much, your heat is higher than it needs to be. So cook on low heat and stir often.
After 40 or so minutes, the Kheer will have thickened. If you feel it is not thick enough, keep adding 10 minutes of cooking time until it is thick to your liking. The thickness should resemble the thickness of cooked oatmeal after you add a splash of milk to it.
When the desired thickness is reached, before taking off the stove, add 4 tablespoons of condensed milk to start, and the pistachios. Mix well and check the sweetness Add more condensed milk as needed. You can use the entire can if you like your Kheer very sweet.
Now turn off the stove and immediately pour the hot, steamy mixture in the serving dish. Shake the serving dish gently to even the top. Do not use a spoon. Cool at room temperature to form a thick skin on top. Eat at room temperature or cool in the refrigerator for a few hours for a cool dessert. Garnish with crushed pistachios and almonds before serving.
Simply Desi 