Name: Kheer (Rice Pudding) | Beginner's Attempt
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: White rice (90g or 1/2 cup); Whole milk (2l or 4 cups or 2 pints); Desiccated coconut (25g or 1/4 cup); Cardamom pods (x12); Kewra water (1 tbsp); Rosewater (1 tbsp); Saffron (1 pinch) + whole milk (1 tbsp); Cane demerara sugar (50g or 1/4 cup); Chopped almonds (x20); Shelled and chopped pistachios (x20)

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A sweet, creamy, and cosy dessert, kheer (rice pudding) is a cherished staple of South Asian cuisine. Kheer has a history dating back 2000 years, with various colourful stories surrounding its conception.

As a gluten-free and vegetarian dessert that can be made without sugar, kheer is a dependable choice for any special occasion.

What is Kheer?

Kheer is a pudding made of white rice boiled in milk, typically with cardamom, kewra water, rose water, and saffron. It is often served with ground or chopped nuts, such as almonds and pistachios, sprinkled over the top.

All ingredients required for kheer (rice pudding): (white rice, cane demerara sugar, saffron milk, whole milk, desiccated coconut, kewra water, rosewater, and cardamom pods) — All ingredients (white rice, cane demerara sugar, saffron milk, whole milk, desiccated coconut, kewra water, rosewater, and cardamom pods)

Kewra water or kewra essence is a fragrant floral water distilled from pandanus or screw pine flowers. It has a woodier aroma compared to rose water.

Saffron is a spice derived from purple crocus flowers, specifically their vivid crimson stigmas. Often referred to as red gold, it releases a golden yellow hue when soaked in liquid. It has an earthy, hay scent and adds a sweet, floral flavour to dishes.

Cultivated predominantly in Iran and Kashmir, each crocus flower yields three stigmas, which farmers carefully pick by hand. They then dry and sell it for use as flavouring, perfume, or dye. Due to how labour-intensive saffron is, it is the most expensive spice in the world by weight.

How I Learned to Cook Kheer

Preparation

First I washed and soaked the white rice in cold water for 30 minutes. While I was doing this, I also soaked a pinch of saffron in warm milk to bloom.

Soaking the saffron in warm water or milk releases its colour and flavour. When you add the saffron water or saffron milk afterwards, its flavour spreads evenly throughout the dish.

Cooking the Rice in Milk

After 30 minutes, I added the whole milk, white rice, desiccated coconut, cardamom pods, kewra water, rose water, and saffron milk to a pot.

Sugar burns quickly so I did not add it along with the other ingredients at this stage.

Rice and milk for kheer (rice pudding) mixed with other ingredients in pot before cooking — Rice, milk, and other ingredients mixed in pot

I then cooked the milk and rice on medium heat for 1 hour.

While cooking, I stirred the rice and milk with a silicone spoon for 1 hour, continuously scraping it across the bottom to prevent the milk from burning. You can also use a wooden spoon for this.

When the rice pudding had noticeably thickened and the rice finished cooking, I lowered the heat.

I then added the cane demerara sugar and continued stirring on low heat for about 5 minutes.

Serving

When serving, I sprinkled chopped almonds and pistachios over the top.

What Has Kheer Taught Me?

There were two aspects of cooking kheer that were new to me. The first was blooming the saffron in warm milk beforehand to release its colour and flavour. This wasn’t at all challenging, but investigating the process did send me down a saffron-related research rabbit-hole!

The second aspect was actually cooking the milk. To prevent it from burning, I had to stir the milk for an hour continuously until it had sufficiently thickened.

This is my first dessert recipe. If you would like to look into the savoury dishes I have learned to cook so far, check out my whole masoor dal, aloo matar, and chicken salan recipes!