Indian Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit (Shahi Kheer) main image

Indian Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit (Shahi Kheer)

Kheer or payasam, a pudding made with rice, sugar and milk, is an ancient Indian dish. This version with dried fruit and nuts, is delicately flavoured with saffron, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. It is very, very delicious.

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60 – 90 min
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6 people
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prep 40 minutes
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Difficulty: Easy
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1½ cups Spekko Jasmine Long Grain White Rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes in enough water to cover, then drained
3 cups water
3 L milk
1 cup white sugar
¼ tsp crushed cardamom seeds
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
10–15 strands saffron, crushed and soaked in 1 tsp warm milk
8 almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
8 pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp chopped dried apricots
2 Tbsp chopped dried cranberries

To serve
Ground cinnamon
Chopped almonds
Chopped pistachios
Chopped dried apricots

  1. Put the rice and water into a pot over the stove and cook until halfway done.

  2. Lay a clean, dry cloth on a tray. Drain the rice and tip it onto the cloth. Use a spoon to gently separate the rice grains.

  3. In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Add the rice and stir continuously over medium heat.

  4. Simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. To avoid mashing the rice, stir in the same direction and slowly add the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, almonds, and pistachios.

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