kheer | india's arroz con leche
Kheer is a classic North Indian dish and one of the few sweet ones I like to eat unadulterated. Made with rice and whole milk, all the comforts of the motherland come through in the additives - cardamon powder, saffron, sultanas, rose water, cashews, almonds or all the above. Western versions are flavoured with vanilla, a citrus zest, cinnamon and in the case of arroz con leche, condensed milk or even evaporated milk. I'm pretty impartial to all types of rice pudding, which is odd because I don't particularly have memories of growing up eating it all that often but whatevs. The adulthood love is real.
Now in terms of the type of rice to use, frankly you can use anything save for maybe instant rice as the processed food may release uninviting flavours into the dish. I used Arborio rice (Italian short grain) or otherwise called "Rice Pudding" rice here in London where I currently reside. So literal. That being said, almost all recipes I researched called for Basmati Rice or long grain rice so just use whatever white rice is in your cupboard.
Kheer
serves around 4 ppl
Ingredients
1 litre (organic) whole milk
1/2 cup Arborio (short grain) rice
4 tablespoons golden brown granulated sugar (more if you prefer a sweeter dessert)
6 green cardamom pods, ground finely with a spice grinder or pestle and mortar
1 pinch saffron
15-20 almonds, to be blanched in 2 cups of water
Method
Preparation
Rinse the rice several times to remove the starch
Soak rice in water for 30 minutes. ensure the water is at least 2cm above the rice as it will expand slightly as it soaks. after 30 minutes, drain the water and set aside the rice.
Blanch the almonds:
Bring a small pot of water (2 cups) to a boil.
Take off the heat and add the almonds.
Cover the pot and let the almonds sit for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, peel away the skin and slice the almonds into slivers.
Ground the cardamon pods finely with a spice grinder or pestle and mortar
Once the prep work is complete, you can begin on the kheer.
Instructions for the kheer
In a medium pan, slowly bring 1 litre of whole milk to a boil
Once at a boil, lower the temperature so that the milk is at a strong simmer.
Add the water soaked rice
Add the sugar
Stir with a wooden spoon often to keep the milk from sticking to the bottom and sides of the pan. It will also keep the milk from building a top layer of skin. let the rice cook inside the milk for 35-40 minutes. You will notice the liquid thicken as the rice cooks and becomes more visible in the pan.
About 25 minutes into cooking the kheer, add the cardamon, saffron and almonds.
** At this point, you can also add a handful of chopped, unsalted cashews, or 1 tablespoon of rose water.
Once the rice is fully cooked through, take off the heat.
** Here, you can add the sultanas
I eat this dish warm but if cold is what you prefer, then let it cool in the fridge by adding a layer of cling film on top of the kheer to keep it from forming a layer of skin. The fresh kheer will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
