Kheer is a slow-cooked Indian rice pudding: basmati simmers low in full-fat milk until the mixture thickens to a rich, creamy consistency. Saffron gives it a golden hue and faint honeyed depth, rose water adds a delicate floral note, and ground cardamom runs warmly through the whole. Served chilled and scattered with pistachios, flaked almonds, and dried rose petals, it is an elegant, fragrant dessert.
60g
6piece
1,200ml
1pinch
20g
80g
1tsp
20g
1tsp| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 60g | — | — | |
| 2 | | 6piece | — | — | |
| 3 | | 1,200ml | — | — | |
| 4 | | 1pinch | — | — | |
| 5 | | 20g | — | — | |
| 6 | | 80g | — | — | |
| 7 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 8 | | 20g | — | — | |
| 9 | | 1tsp | — | — |
Tip the basmati rice into a sieve held over the sink.
Basmati rice · 60 g
Rinse the rice under cold running water, agitating it with your fingers, until the water runs clear.
Transfer the rinsed rice to a medium bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 20 minutes.
Tip the soaked rice into a sieve and drain away all the soaking water.
Place the cardamom pods on the chopping board and press down firmly with the flat of a chef's knife to split them open, then pick out the seeds and crush them lightly.
Green cardamom pods · 6 piece
Tip the crushed cardamom seeds into a small cup and set aside.
Pour the small measure of milk into a small saucepan.
Full-fat milk · 30 ml
Warm the milk over a low heat until it is just steaming — do not let it boil.
Add the saffron strands to the warm milk in the saucepan.
Saffron strands · 1 pinchLeave the saffron strands to steep in the warm milk for at least 10 minutes, until the milk turns a deep golden colour.
Roughly chop the pistachios on the chopping board until they are in small, coarse pieces.
Pistachios · 20 gTip the chopped pistachios into a small bowl and set aside.
Pour the full-fat milk into a large heavy-based saucepan.
Full-fat milk · 1,170 ml
Place the saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring the milk to a full boil, stirring occasionally to prevent it catching on the base.
Add the drained basmati rice to the boiling milk and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer the rice in the milk, stirring frequently and scraping the base and sides of the pan, until the rice is very soft and the milk has reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon, about 27 minutes; it thickens more as it cools.
Add the caster sugar to the pan and stir until it has fully dissolved into the rice-milk mixture.
Caster sugar · 80 gTip the crushed cardamom seeds into the pan and stir them through the sweetened rice-milk mixture.
Stir the mixture steadily for one minute to distribute the cardamom evenly through the kheer base.
Continue to simmer the cardamom kheer base over a low heat for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens a little more.
Pour the saffron-steeped milk into the simmered cardamom kheer base and stir to combine.
Add the rose water to the saffron kheer and stir gently to mix.
Rose water · 1 tspSimmer the rose-infused kheer for one final minute over a low heat, stirring, to allow the flavours to meld.
Ladle the finished kheer into a serving bowl, scraping all the thickened milk from the sides of the pan.
Leave the kheer in the serving bowl at room temperature for 30 minutes until it has cooled to room temperature.
Place the serving bowl in the refrigerator.
Chill the kheer for at least 2 hours until it is cold and set.
Remove the serving bowl from the refrigerator.
Scatter the chopped pistachios evenly over the surface of the chilled kheer.
Scatter the flaked almonds over the kheer with the pistachios.
Flaked almonds · 20 g| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 g | | Tip the basmati rice into a sieve held over the sink.⏱ 10sResultBasmati rice |
| 2 | Basmati ricestep 1 | | Rinse the rice under cold running water, agitating it with your fingers, until the water runs clear.⏱ 1 minResultRinsed basmati rice |
| 3 | Rinsed basmati ricestep 2 | | Transfer the rinsed rice to a medium bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 20 minutes.⏱ 20 minResultSoaked basmati rice |
| 4 | — | | Tip the soaked rice into a sieve and drain away all the soaking water.⏱ 1 minResultDrained basmati riceused in step 15 |
| 5 | 6 piece | | Place the cardamom pods on the chopping board and press down firmly with the flat of a chef's knife to split them open, then pick out the seeds and crush them lightly.⏱ 4 minResultCrushed cardamom seeds |
| 6 | Crushed cardamom seedsstep 5 | | Tip the crushed cardamom seeds into a small cup and set aside.⏱ 10sResultCrushed cardamom seedsused in step 18 |
| 7 | 30 ml | | Pour the small measure of milk into a small saucepan.⏱ 10sResultFull-fat milk |
| 8 | — | | Warm the milk over a low heat until it is just steaming — do not let it boil.⏱ 1 minResultWarm milk |
| 9 | 1 pinch | | Add the saffron strands to the warm milk in the saucepan.⏱ 10sResultWarm milk and saffron strands |
| 10 | — | | Leave the saffron strands to steep in the warm milk for at least 10 minutes, until the milk turns a deep golden colour.⏱ 10 minResultSaffron-steeped milkused in step 21 |
| 11 | 20 g | | Roughly chop the pistachios on the chopping board until they are in small, coarse pieces.⏱ 2 minResultChopped pistachios |
| 12 | Chopped pistachiosstep 11 | | Tip the chopped pistachios into a small bowl and set aside.⏱ 10sResultChopped pistachiosused in step 29 |
| 13 | 1,170 ml | | Pour the full-fat milk into a large heavy-based saucepan.⏱ 1 minResultFull-fat milk |
| 14 | — | | Place the saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring the milk to a full boil, stirring occasionally to prevent it catching on the base.⏱ 8 minResultSimmering milk |
| 15 | Drained basmati ricestep 4 | | Add the drained basmati rice to the boiling milk and stir to combine.⏱ 1 minResultDrained basmati rice and simmering milk |
| 16 | — | | Reduce the heat to low and simmer the rice in the milk, stirring frequently and scraping the base and sides of the pan, until the rice is very soft and the milk has reduced by about half and coats the back of a spoon, about 27 minutes; it thickens more as it cools.⏱ 27 minResultSimmered rice-milk mixture |
| 17 | 80 g | | Add the caster sugar to the pan and stir until it has fully dissolved into the rice-milk mixture.⏱ 1 minResultSweetened rice-milk mixture |
| 18 | Crushed cardamom seedsstep 6 | | Tip the crushed cardamom seeds into the pan and stir them through the sweetened rice-milk mixture.⏱ 1 minResultCardamom-sweetened kheer base |
| 19 | — | | Stir the mixture steadily for one minute to distribute the cardamom evenly through the kheer base.⏱ 1 minResultWell-stirred cardamom kheer base |
| 20 | — | | Continue to simmer the cardamom kheer base over a low heat for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens a little more.⏱ 5 minResultSimmered cardamom kheer base |
| 21 | Saffron-steeped milkstep 10 | | Pour the saffron-steeped milk into the simmered cardamom kheer base and stir to combine.⏱ 1 minResultSaffron kheer |
| 22 | 1 tsp | | Add the rose water to the saffron kheer and stir gently to mix.⏱ 1 minResultRose-infused kheer |
| 23 | — | | Simmer the rose-infused kheer for one final minute over a low heat, stirring, to allow the flavours to meld.⏱ 1 minResultThickened rose-infused kheer |
| 24 | Thickened rose-infused kheerstep 23 | | Ladle the finished kheer into a serving bowl, scraping all the thickened milk from the sides of the pan.⏱ 2 minResultThickened rose-infused kheer |
| 25 | — | | Leave the kheer in the serving bowl at room temperature for 30 minutes until it has cooled to room temperature.⏱ 30 minResultCooled kheer |
| 26 | — | | Place the serving bowl in the refrigerator.⏱ 10sResultCooled kheer |
| 27 | — | | Chill the kheer for at least 2 hours until it is cold and set.⏱ 2 hrResultChilled kheer |
| 28 | — | | Remove the serving bowl from the refrigerator.⏱ 10sResultChilled kheer |
| 29 | Chopped pistachiosstep 12 | | Scatter the chopped pistachios evenly over the surface of the chilled kheer.⏱ 1 minResultPistachio-scattered kheer |
| 30 | 20 g | | Scatter the flaked almonds over the kheer with the pistachios.⏱ 1 minResultNut-scattered kheer |
| Total Time | 3 hr 45 min | ||
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 341kcal | |
| 12g | |
| 15g | |
| 7g | |
| 42g | |
| 35g | |
| 1g | |
| 151mg |
Kheer is a slow-cooked Indian rice pudding: basmati simmers low in full-fat milk until the mixture thickens to a rich, creamy consistency. Saffron gives it a golden hue and faint honeyed depth, rose water adds a delicate floral note, and ground cardamom runs warmly through the whole. Served chilled and scattered with pistachios, flaked almonds, and dried rose petals, it is an elegant, fragrant dessert.
What you’ll doYou will rinse and soak basmati rice, steep saffron in warm milk and crush cardamom. The rice simmers slowly in full-fat milk until creamy and thick, and is sweetened, flavoured and finished with chopped pistachios.
