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Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding

313kcal
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Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour
Total 1 hour 10 minutes
A creamy and classic Rice Pudding (Chawal ki Kheer) made by slow-cooking rice in milk until rich and flavorful. Lightly sweetened and infused with cardamom, saffron, almonds, and raisins, this traditional dessert is simple to make yet perfect for special occasions.
Servings 8 servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

Core Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup Basmati Rice
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 gallon 2% Fat Milk or whole milk to make it richer
Texture and Crunch
  • 1/4 cup Almonds or use store-bought slivered almond.
  • 1/4 cup Raisins
Flavoring
  • 4 Green Cardamoms
  • Saffron strands optional

Method

Prepare the Rice
  1. Wash until the water is mostly clear to remove excess starch - pour some water into the bowl, stir the rice with your fingers and then drain the water and repeat until it is (almost) clear.
    2. Thoroughly rinsing the rice prevents the kheer from becoming overly gummy.
  2. Soak the rice for about 30 minutes and drain the water.
    3. Soaking ensures that the rice cooks evenly and softens properly.
Prepare the Almonds
  1. Soak the almonds in a bowl of water and microwave for about 2 minutes,
    2. Microwaving soaked almonds loosens the skins quickly, making peeling easier.
  2. Let it cool and then peel the almonds and cut them evenly into slivers.
Prepare the Cardamom Powder
  1. Crush the cardamom in a mortar so that the seeds are crushed into a coarse powder. Remove the cardamom skins since you won't be adding them to the pudding.
    2. Freshly crushed cardamom has a much stronger aroma than pre-ground.
    You can use the discarded cardamom skins to make Masala Chai.
Cooking
  1. Bring the milk to a boil on medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed pot to prevent it from scorching.
    1/2 gallon 2% Fat Milk
  2. Reduce the heat and add the drained rice.
    1/2 cup Basmati Rice
  3. Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Stir the milk occasionally every 5 minutes or so increasing the frequency as time elapses and the volume of the milk gradually reduces.
  4. Scrape any milk solids from the side of the pot back into the milk. The milk will start to thicken and you will notice that as the volume reduces it starts to bubble more, that's when we reduce the heat to low.
  5. Add sugar, almond slivers (reserve some for the garnish), cardamom powder and saffron strands. Soak saffron in warm water or milk 10-20 min before adding to unlock its color and flavor.
    1/2 cup Sugar, 1/4 cup Almonds, 4 Green Cardamoms, Saffron strands
    6. You could spoon out a couple teaspoons of the hot milk for this.
  6. Continue stirring until the milk has reduced to about half the original volume in about 15 minutes. The pudding (kheer) is ready when the rice and milk don’t separate when scooped.
    7. It should coat the back of a spoon but still be slightly loose and it thickens further as it cools.
  7. Turn off the heat and mix in the raisins.
    1/4 cup Raisins
    8. Raisins are added at the end so they stay plump and don’t become mushy.
  8. Chill for a few hours before serving for the best flavor and texture and serve garnished with almond slivers.

Nutrition

Serving1cupCalories313kcalCarbohydrates56gProtein9gFat7gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat3gTrans Fat0.001gCholesterol19mgSodium158mgPotassium495mgFiber3gSugar35gVitamin A537IUVitamin C0.5mgCalcium278mgIron1mg

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