Rice Kheer

How to Cook Rice Kheer

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1. Drain the rice and rub it between your palms to crack a few grains — this speeds thickening.

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2. Fry the nuts and raisins in the ghee for 90 seconds until golden and the raisins swell. Set aside.

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3. Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy-based pan, then reduce to a simmer.

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4. Add the rice and cook, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the base and sides so nothing catches.

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5. The milk should reduce by close to half and the mixture should coat a spoon thickly.

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6. Warm the saffron in a tablespoon of the hot milk for 5 minutes, then stir it in.

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7. Add the sugar, cardamom and condensed milk if using, and simmer 8 minutes more, stirring, until it thickens again.

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8. Stir in most of the nuts and raisins, take off the heat, and rest 10 minutes.

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9. Serve warm or chilled, scattered with the remaining nuts. It thickens considerably as it cools, so loosen with milk if needed.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Use a heavy pan and stay near it. Milk catches on the base in seconds and the burnt taste cannot be rescued.
2. Full-fat milk only. Semi-skimmed gives a thin kheer with none of the richness.
3. Add the sugar late. Early sugar slows the reduction and dulls the colour.

About This Recipe

The milk is reduced by nearly half before the sugar goes in, because sugar added early interferes with the Maillard reaction between milk proteins and lactose that gives kheer its pale caramel colour and toasted flavour. Basmati broken slightly in the hand releases starch faster and thickens the pudding without needing cornflour.

What to Serve It With

Served after a rich curry meal · Alongside gulab jamun at a festival spread · Masala chai

Keeping Rice Kheer

Refrigerate up to 4 days. It sets thick; loosen with warm milk. Freezing changes the texture and is not recommended.

Quick Answers

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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