Creamy Vanilla Cardamom Rice Pudding (Kheer) भनिलाको खीर
Rice pudding (Kheer) is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of sweet comfort wrapped in a bowl. Growing up, whether it was a grand festival, an intimate family gathering, or just a rainy day craving warmth, Kheer was our home's comforting answer. The warm golden aroma of creamy simmering milk, combined with wonderful spices like cardamom wafting from mom's pot is still so vivid.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 90 grams Rice
- 3 tablespoon Rice flour
- 1 cup Water
- 1.5 Litre Whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Ghiu (ghee) or unsalted butter
- 5 Bayleaf
- 8 Cardamom (crushed then the outer skin removed)
- 40 grams Cashew nuts
- 5 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1
Preparing the Rice
- 2
Place the uncooked rice in a bowl. Pour cold water into the bowl and give the rice a good rinse.
- 3
Let the rice then soak in the water for 30 minutes.
- 4
Once the rice is well-rested, drain it of excess water.
- 5
Preparing the cardamom
- 6
Crush the cardamom gentle using a mortar and pestle to split the outer skin from the seeds inside.
- 7
Remove the outer skin and only use the seeds inside. You can also use a spice grinder and sieve out the out skin so you are only left with cardamom powder.
- 8
Preparing the rice flour thickener
- 9
Place the rice flour into a bowl and add in cold water, mix well and set aside.
- 10
Sautéing
- 11
In a pan with a sturdy-bottom e.g cast iron pan, gently warm it over medium heat.
- 12
Introduce a teaspoon of ghee, vegetable oil or unsalted butter, followed by the soacked and drained rice, bayleaf, cardomom powder
- 13
Saute the rice in the golden ghee, cardamom and bay leaf, for a minute or two. This will release an aroma that's nothing short of magic!
- 14
Simmering and Stirring
- 15
Add the milk to the pan with the rice and spices.
- 16
This next step will require patience, Continue to gently stir and scrape any milk residue form the sides back into the mix. You also need to keep stirring to stop the bottom of the pan burning the milk.
- 17
Allow the milk to approach a gentle boil, which should take about 5 minutes. As the milk bubbles add in the rice flour thickener and Introduce the cashew nuts. Give it a good mix.
- 18
Let the concoction simmer in for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The occasional formation of a layer of milk film is but a sign of its rich creaminess. Integrate it back with gentle stirs.
- 19
Don't be alarmed if the consistency is watery as once it cools the kheer thicken slightly. If you prefer a thicker texture then feel free to continue simmering and stirring until a desired consistency is reached.
- 20
Then finally add the sugar and vanilla essence and simmer for another 2-3 minutes whilst stirring. It is important to add the sugar at the end otherwise the sugar will not allow the rice to cook fully.
- 21
Serving
- 22
Before serving make sure to remove the bay leaf pieces. You can savour it warm, cold, or at room temperature, make sure it's a shared experience.
- 23
Serve in a bowl and embellish with a few more cashews as you serve.