KHEER
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 3 hours | Cook Time: 1 hour
Dietary Style: Veg. GF.
DF / Vegan Sub: coconut milk.
Kheer is a classic Kashmiri dessert in that it is inordinately sweet and relies on green cardamom and saffron for a fragrant and slightly savoury touch. Use the best Basmati rice you can find - the longer the grain, the more elegant the end result. And if you have a heavy bottomed pot that conducts heat effectively and resists sticking the cooking time will be a little reduced and require a little less attention to stirring. Though kheer is traditionally served chilled I do confess to enjoying it hot, straight from the pot.
INGREDIENTS
- 150 gm Basmati rice
- 5 cups milk
- 50 gm slivered almonds
- 4 green cardamom pods, cracked
- pinch saffron threads, crushed
- 1 and 1/4 cups caster sugar
- silver leaf to decorate
Starting three hours before, rinse and soak the Basmati rice and leave aside. When three hours has passed strain the rice of its water, rinse and pat dry with kitchen towel. Set aside.
In a large heavy bottomed pot heat five cups of milk on a medium-high heat until it starts to come to a boil, stirring all the while.
Turn down to a medium heat and add the cracked green cardamom pods, the slivered almonds and the reserved Basmati rice. Continue to cook on a medium heat for around 20 minutes or until the rice has softened, stirring continually.
Spoon two tablespoons of the warmed milk from the pot into a small bowl. Crush the saffron just a little and then stir through the small bowl of warmed milk until it releases its colour. Add to the kheer.
Once the saffron is stirred through add the caster sugar, stirring continually the entire time.
Swap the wooden spoon for a metal spoon and continue cooking the kheer on a medium heat until the rice has thickened and yellowed, which should take a further 20 to 30 minutes.
Once ready, remove the kheer from the heat and serve into small bowls. Decorate with silver leaf if you have some handy. Refrigerate for a few hours.
Remove the bowls of kheer from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.