Rice Kheer

Rice simmered slowly in milk until soft and creamy, sweetened, and scented with cardamom and saffron, with nuts on top.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Rice section’s regional pages and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (1 liter) whole milk (2½ cups for an Instant Pot)
• ¼ cup water (optional), or 1 teaspoon ghee to grease the pot
• ¼ cup (50 g) rice (basmati or any rice)
• 4 to 6 tablespoons (50 to 65 g) sugar (4 tablespoons for moderate sweetness)
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ¼ cup unsalted nuts (cashews, pistachios or slivered almonds)
• 2 tablespoons raisins (optional)
• 1 tablespoon ghee (optional, to fry the nuts and raisins)
• 1 pinch saffron (or 1 teaspoon rose water, or a few drops kewra water)

Directions

1. Rinse and drain the rice.
2. Simmer. Bring the milk (and water) to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot, stir in the rice, and simmer on medium-low 25–30 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until the rice is soft and lightly mushy.
3. Sweeten. Add the sugar and cook about 10 minutes more, until thicker but still flowing; it thickens as it cools.
4. Finish. Stir in the cardamom, saffron or rose water, and the nuts. If liked, pour over nuts and raisins fried in the ghee.

Notes

Source Adapted from Swasthi Shreekanth, “Rice Kheer (Chawal ki Kheer),” Swasthi’s Recipes.

A correction to the source’s numbers “4 to 6 tablespoons (50 to 65 grams)” of sugar do not quite agree: 4 tablespoons is about 50 g, but 6 tablespoons is about 75 g, not 65 g.

History The Ain-i-Akbari’s shír-birinj is ten parts milk to one of rice; this kheer is about twenty to one.

The Rice section’s South Asia page (/rice/south-asia/) covers the history and technique behind this dish.