Kheer, Payasam or Payash..a rose by any name..

Kheer, the most popular Indian dessert.

Payash in Bengal, Payasam in Tamil Nadu,Kerala and Karnataka, Kheer all over North India. What is sometimes called Rice pudding in the West, is an all time favourite, easy to make recipe—whether you buy milk specifically to make this for a guest, or make it to use up the many packets of milk lying in the fridge—for the family.

The traditional kheer recipe :

Milk 2 litres

Rice 2 handfulls

Sugar/Sweetener to tast

Cardamom or Ilaichi – a few

Almonds, raisins and rose petals to garnish

Bring  the milk to boil , preferably in an outsized, heavy bottomed  or non-stick pan, and simmer, adding the washed and drained rice., and slightly crushed cardamom.

Stir occasionally .

When the rice  has got well cooked and blended smoothly with the milk—it could take  45 minutes to an hour—take it off the gas.

Add sugar after it has cooled down a  bit.

For those who would rather go slow on sugar, chill. I’ve made good kheer with just two sachets of sugar to a litre of milk, without the dessert tasting like saltless gooey rice.

If even two sachets is too much, try two spoons of brown sugar/gur/shakkar. But take care to add these after the kheer has cooled down totally. This gives the kheer a lovely cream colour.

You can also toss in seasonal fruit –again, after the kheer has cooled totally.

Garnishing with fresh petals of the desi roja—ordinary , fragrant rose –and some almond slivers ( NO NEED TO FRY THEM IN GHEE), and a few raisins will take care of whatever is missing on account of very little sugar.

If you don’t have the time to make it this way, cheat yourself!

Cooked rice—One cup

Milk-two cups

Condensed milk-one tin

Heat the milk, add the cooked rice and stir for about 10 mins. Add the condensed milk, stir well.

Garnish.

The best kheer I’ve had or made  , has been in a solar cooker.And I always use the “yellow packet”—double toned milk—for cocerns regarding fat and cholesterol.