1 c Uncooked white rice
2 c Water
8 Cardamon pods; crushed seeds
-of
2 qt Milk or soy milk
1 c Sugar or honey
1 tb Butter or soy spread
1/2 c Raisins; yellow if possible
1/4 ts Saffron threads; crushed
-(optional)
Kheer is a sweet, rich dish that is especially prepared for holidays
and festive occasions... Although the saffron is listed as an option,
it really adds a distinctive color and taste to this creamy dish.
Prepare well in advance, so it has sufficient time (2 hours) to cool.
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the rice. Cover the
pot, lower the heat and simmer about 20 minutes until the rice is
nearly done. Add the milk, raise the heat to medium, and cook
uncovered for 1 hour, stirring often to prevent the rice from
sticking to the bottom of the pot. At the end of 1 hour, the rice and
milk will have thickened and the volume will be reduced by about one
third. Now add the honey or sugar, butter, raisins, crushed cardamon
seeds, and optional saffron. Stir continuously for 5 minutes to mix
thoroughly. Taste and add more sugar if you feel that it sould be
sweeter. Cook and stir for another 15 minutes. Remove the pot from
the heat and transfer the kheer into a serving dish. Top with chopped
pistachio nuts and cool in the refrigerator.
Serve as part of the main meal or eat as a dessert.
Note: A similar but much easier dish can be made with cream of rice
cereal. I learned the following recipe from a Pakastani friend:
Prepare the hot cereal as directed on the package, using milk or
cream instead of water. Add sugar or honey to sweeten to taste as it
is cooking. You can also add crushed cardamon seeds or a pinch of
powdered cardamon and a bit of saffron. Stir in raisins and nuts, if
desired. Chill and serve. Very delicious and very easy!
[M's note - I've done the above cheating trick with cream of wheat.]
Recipe by Shanta N. Sacharoff
Recipe FROM: Flavors of India: Recipes from the Vegetarian Hindu
Cuisine by Shanta N. Sacharoff via Jill M. Nicolaus
