Kheer is a sweet, rich dish that is
especially prepared for holidays and festive occasions.... Although
the saffron is listed as an option, it really adds a distinctive color
and taste to this creamy dish. Prepare well in advance, so it has
sufficient time to cool (about 2 hours).
KHEER (Indian-style Rice Pudding)
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cup water for cooking rice
crushed seeds of 8 cardamon pods
2 tbsp milk
1 cup sugar or honey
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup raisins, yellow if possible
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed (optional)
Method:
Bring the water to a boil in a large pot and add the rice. Cover the
pot, lower the heat and simmer about 20 min. until the rice is nearly
done.
Add the milk, raise the heat to medium, and
cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring often to prevent the rice from
sticking to the bottom of the pot. At the end of an hour, the rice and
milk will have thickened and the volume will be reduced by about one
third.
Now add the honey or sugar, butter, raisins,
crushed cardamon seeds and optional saffron. Stir continuously for 5
min. to mix thoroughly. Taste and add more sugar if you feel that it
should be sweeter. Cook and stir for another 15 min.
Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the
kheer into a serving dish. Top with chopped pistachio nuts and cool in
the refrigerator.
Serve with Indian bread as part of the main
meal or eat as a dessert.