- Prep time10 mins
- Cook time1 hr
- Servings6
- DifficultyEasy
- CategoryDesi
Kheer cannot be rushed — the rice must surrender slowly into the milk until the whole pot turns creamy without any cream. A heavy bottom and a watchful spoon are the equipment; patience is the technique. Cardamom goes in near the end so its perfume does not cook away, and the pudding is best served chilled, when the flavors settle and deepen.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100 g) basmati or short-grain rice, rinsed
- 6 cups (1.4 L) whole milk
- 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (about 6 pods, ground)
- A pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1/4 cup mixed almonds and pistachios, sliced and toasted
- 1 tbsp raisins (optional)
Method
- Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot, then add the rice. Reduce to a gentle simmer.
- Cook uncovered for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the rice is completely soft and the milk has reduced by about a third.
- Stir in the sugar and cook 5 minutes more until dissolved.
- Add the cardamom, saffron milk and raisins. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Heat the ghee, lightly toast the nuts in it, and stir half into the kheer.
- Chill at least 2 hours. Serve cold, topped with the remaining nuts.
Tips for success
- Stir the bottom constantly in the last 15 minutes — scorched milk ruins the batch.
- Kheer thickens a lot when cold; keep it slightly looser than you want to serve.
- A wide pot reduces the milk faster and more evenly than a tall one.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from Chef Aaditya Bal walkthrough covers the same kheer step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.