Homemade Rice Kheer (With Condensed Milk)
Traditional indian style rice kheer (pudding) recipe made with full fat milk, basmati rice, jaggery (or sugar) and scented with green cardamom.
Ingredients
- 1.5 teaspoon ghee
- ¼ cup chopped nuts I use cashews, almonds and pistachios
- 12-15 raisins I use golden raisins
- ⅓ cup white rice I use gobind bhog rice (preferably use a short grain, aromatic white rice variety)
- 6 cup whole milk full fat milk (use 5 cups for thicker kheer)
- 2 whole green cardamom pods
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk quantity can be increased to ¾ cup
Instructions
- Place the rice in a bowl and wash it 2-4 times under running water or until the water runs clear. Add enough water to cover the rice and let it soak for 30 minutes.
- While the rice is soaking, open 2 green cardamom pods, remove the seeds, and grind them into a fine powder using a small mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- In a wide, heavy pot (I use a 3-quart sauce pot), heat up 1 teaspoon of ghee over low flame. Add the cashews and raisins. Stirring continuously, toast until the raisins swell slightly and the cashews turn a light golden color. Remove with a spoon and transfer to a plate. Set aside. You can chop the cashews if you prefer once they cool down.
- Without washing the pot, pour in the whole milk. Optionally, add 2 whole green cardamom pods. Set the pot on a low-medium heat to bring the milk to a slow boil.
- Once the milk starts to boil, add the drained, soaked rice. Stir immediately to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.Don't cover the pot.
- Let the rice cook in the milk for 25-30 minutes, keeping the heat on low-medium. Stir the milk intermittently, scraping the sides of the pot and mixing the residue back into the milk. As the rice cooks, it will soften, and the starches will thicken the kheer.
- After 30-35 minutes the kheer should be thick, with the rice well cooked and well combined with milk. To check, take a single grain of rice and smush it between your thumb and index finger- it will be soft.
- Add the condensed milk and mix well. The kheer will become runny again. Continue to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Remember that the kheer will thicken further as it cools.
- Remove the pot from the heat, pick and discard the whole cardamom pods. Mix in the freshly ground cardamom powder, nuts and raisins. Serve warm or chill for a few hours. As the kheer cools down, a skin will form on top of kheer. Mix it back in. Once cooled completely, chill the kheer for a few hours before serving.
Video
Notes
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- Rice to Milk Ratio - Rule of thumb is that for every cup of milk, you use 1 tablespoon of rice for perfect creamy texture.
- Cooking Pot - Always choose a heavy pot with a wide mouth. A heavy pot ensures that the milk heats evenly and doesn’t burn, keeping the temperature just right. You can use a stainless steel pot or an enameled Dutch oven.
- Soak The Rice - Always soak the rice before cooking. This helps in a softer rice texture as well as even cooking of rice grains.
- Sweetener - Use granurated sugar, raw sugar, jaggery, coconut sugar or maple syrup to sweeten your kheer if you wish. The taste & color of the kheer will be different depending on the sweetener you will use. Please adjust the cooking time to achieve desired thickness. If you’re using jaggery, reheating is not an option. So, ensure that the kheer is cooked to a rich, thick consistency before you add the jaggery.
- Adjust The Slow Cooking Time - It is simple. Cook the kheer longer if you want to thicken it. We like creamy, thick kheer so the cooking times indicated in the recipe are accordingly. Cook a little less longer if you like a runny kheer.
- Storage:- Rice pudding keeps good for 2-4 days in the fridge. You can reheat on a stove or microwave before serving. I don't prefer freezing kheer (texture & creaminess is off) and won't recommend.
- Vegan Kheer - Yes you can make vegan kheer using this recipe. Use vegan butter for toasting the cashews and raisins. Instead of milk, use almond milk. In place of condensed milk, use sugar. Adjust cooking time until it is thick to your liking. You could add a tablespoon or two of almond flour for extra flavor and richness.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!