The kheer or firni pudding is one of the sweet treats of the dining table and a truly versatile dish following an Indian or Pakistani curry. Having said that, it is starting to find its way into mainstream dining because it is so easy to prepare if you have a good supply of full fat milk. Many Indian restaurants serve it as a their main pudding and they all appear to have their own take.
It is a simple dish prepared with boiling milk (not too rapidly by the way), sugar and a variety of other sweet ingredients but not overdoing it. Usually just one of them is enough to enhance the dish.
The main base is probably where the variety mostly comes from. We can choose from rice, wheat (broken), vermicelli, tapioca and even sweet corn. If you are using rice, try tukda basmati rice because it produces such a smooth rice pudding.
Some recipes based on rice often have a few strands of saffron added to create that golden tinge and warm honey-like aroma that makes for such a beautiful and fragrant dessert.
Kheer For Special Festivities
Because it is the end of February, we are in the festival of Shivrati which is one India’s celebrated ancient festivals. We have Mahashivratri which is celebrated in the month of ‘Phagun’. The story goes that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati consummated their marriage on Mahashivaratri. Many devotees offer their prayers to the Lord Shiva on this especially important feasting day. many offer up flowers as well as fruits and other sweet treats to celebrate the occasion.
Many followers observe ritualistic fasts known as the Mahashivratri vrat. They stop eating meat and there is no drinking of alcohol. Most people who are fasting opt for a phallar vrat, where they consume fruits, milk and milk-based desserts. As part of the celebrations it is essential to have some foods to keep sustenance going. As well as choosing some fine savoury dishes, a good bowl of kheer just rounds off a sparse meal.
One of the main dishes I know of for kheer made with tapioca or sabudana as it is also known. It is a vrat staple that is often used in a range of other dessert dishes. There are many tapioca recipes. It helps in the final preparation to soak the sabudana or tapioca before hand overnight.
To Prepare Kheer
The soaked tapioca is added to milk in a skillet or pan when it just starts boiling. It is cooked until the pearls become transparent and really very soft about 10 to 15 minutes later. Always stir continuously to avoid burn on. Don’t bother with it if the milk is too scalded or burnt – there is nothing worse than offering guests a charred afters.
Sweeten with sugar and some cardamom powder and then let the milk thicken for a little for 5 to 7 minutes. The consistency level is a matter of taste but I prefer this one on the slightly thicker side to most people’s tastes.
I’ve added sliced almonds, toasted cashews and other nuts and there is a particularly nice variant which uses fig compote and salted pistachios as a garnish (see the picture as to what I mean). For a really sweet taste, add some kulfi or falooda as well because the rose flavours work especially well with the cooked tapioca.
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