Those who enjoy rice pudding will be pleased to know it's a surprisingly easy thing to put together. It's basically smushed up rice with heavy cream, jazzed up with nuts and cardamom.
The great thing with rice pudding is that it can be made with many kinds of rice, preferably white grain rather than brown. This does mean the rice-to-milk ratio is subject to change, but the good news is we want mushy rice, so overcooking is actually not a problem (yay!).
I am using basmati rice because that's what I normally have in the pantry but feel free to switch it up. Just be sure to add enough milk for the rice to completely cook. If the rice gets dry, add a bit more milk to compensate. No strict measurements here!
KHEER
•rice •heavy cream
•ground cardamom •sugar
•milk •pistachios & almonds
Wash half a cup of rice (100g) in a few changes of cold water to remove the starch. When the water runs clear, transfer the rice to a pot with lid and add one cup of milk (250 ml). Cover and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a very low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the rice gets dry, add a bit more milk.
When the rice is completely soft and the milk is absorbed, take the pan off the heat. Using a fork or a potato masher, give the rice a good squishing. Once it is all roughly mashed up, stir in 3/4 cups of heavy cream (177ml), four tablespoons of sugar (30g) and half a teaspoon of ground cardamom, then season with a pinch of salt. Stir in a few tablespoons of chopped pistachios and almonds and serve.
I like to eat kheer warm but cold is also wonderful. This recipe serves about 4 people.
NB: nuts are optional. Mom likes to sprinkle some extra granulated/turbinado sugar on top for extra "crunch" ;)
