Kheer is a South Asian sweet milk pudding usually made with rice, cardamom, and nuts. There are many variations, approaches, and preparations and it’s often made on celebratory occasions. With Eid coming up, we wanted to share a recipe for a rice pudding inspired by kheer.
Traditional recipes are beautiful and irreplaceable, but we’ve put together an inspired version that comes together a bit quicker and is made with rice, coconut milk, honey, cardamom, saffron, and topped with crushed pistachios and rose petals. It’s festive, simple, and delicious. Eid Mubarak!
Ingredients (serves 2):
- 3 Tbsp basmati rice, soaked in water for 30 minutes.
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 cardamom pods
- pinch of saffron
- crushed pistachios and rose petals, to garnish
Recipe:
- Drain the rice from the soaking water and rinse the rice well in a strainer until the water runs clear.
- Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the rice, coconut milk, honey, cardamom, and saffron.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Stir constantly with a wooden spoon throughout the cooking process to prevent sticking and use the spoon to smash the rice slightly so it breaks up.
- Cook until the rice is fully cooked and the pudding is thickened, around 30 minutes.
- Serve topped with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios and rose petals to garnish.
- This dish can be served warm or chilled.