Chawal Ki Kheer – Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 1/3 cup
Milk – 3/4 litre
Sugar – 1 cup
Finely powdered cardamom seeds – 1/4 tsp
Finely sliced Pistachios – for garnish
Finely Sliced Almonds – for garnish

Procedure:

Wash and soak the rice in water for about 2 hours. Later, drain the water and spread the rice overnight on a cloth so that the rice air-dries .

The next day, add the dry rice grains in a grinder and powder it, the texture of the rice should be similar to that of rawa.

Pour milk into a saucepan at medium high heat and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook the milk for 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, add the powdered rice, and about 3/4 cup of cool water. Mix well and slowly add this to the boiling milk while stirring continously . Stirring the milk continously while adding the rice powder soaked in water is vital, or else you will end up with lumps of rice powder in the milk. Keep stirring and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add sugar and let it cook for about 10 minutes more. During this time you will observe that the pudding has started to thicken up and the rice is thoroughly cooked. Do not cook for too long, as the pudding will thicken more once it is cold. Remove from heat, when the consistency is just slightly thick.

In the last few seconds, add the cardamom seeds powder and mix well. Remove from heat and keep side to cool.

Once cool, refrigerate the pudding until cold. Serve in individual cups garnished with the sliced nuts.

TIP: You can use Vanilla essence for more aroma and taste