Sweet Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup Basmati rice (works other rice too)
• 6 cups whole milk
• 1 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 4-5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• A pinch of saffron threads (optional)
• Ghee (clarified butter) for frying the nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Wash the Basmati rice with water until it's clean. Drain it.
2. In a big pot, heat the milk until it boils.
3. Add the washed rice to the boiling milk. Reduce the heat and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. If you like, you can fry the chopped nuts in ghee until they turn golden brown.
5. Once the rice is cooked and the mixture gets thicker, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
6. Add the chopped nuts, raisins, crushed cardamom pods, and saffron threads (if using). Let it cook for another 5-10 minutes.
7. Take the pot off the heat and let the kheer cool down a bit.
8. Serve the kheer warm or cold. You can sprinkle more nuts and saffron threads on top if you like.

Family Recipe
Prepared by Sandip Thapa
Louisiana Anthology
April 4, 2024