Rice Pudding or Rice Kheer is one of my favorite desserts. It reminds of the lavish dinner parties at home where it was invariably one of the desserts served. The creamy taste of sweet thickened milk and soft rice combined with the crunchy texture of blanched almonds contrasted by the succulent plumped raisins always makes me crave some more.
Rice Pudding is usually a very rich preparation made with whole milk and some variations call for sweetened condensed milk. I prefer to make it with 2% reduced fat milk since it has fewer calories and still has enough creaminess and I add enough sugar to sweeten it just right.
This recipe results in 8 servings (1 serving is 1/2 cup) since I’m sure you’ll want to share and impress your guests with your skills (it’s incredible how easy this recipe is and yet the results are so delicious!). To make a smaller batch just remember these proportions – 1 cup basmati rice : 1 cup sugar : 1 gallon milk result in about 16 servings (8 cups) and adjust per your needs. I strongly recommend using Basmati Rice for best results, although you can use any other long-grained rice.
Preparation time: 10 minutes (does not include soaking time for rice)
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup Basmati Rice
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 gallon 2% Fat Milk
1/4 cup Almonds
4-6 Green Cardamoms
1 box (28 grams) California Raisins (or other raisins)
Saffron strands (optional)
Preparation
Wash the rice 3-4 times or as needed until the water the mostly clear. This washes away the excess starch from the grains. I pour some water into the bowl, stir the rice with my fingers and then drain the water and repeat until it is (almost) clear. Soak the rice for about 30 minutes and drain the water.
Soak the almonds in a bowl of water and microwave for about 2 minutes, let it cool and then peel the almonds and cut them into slivers.
Crush the cardamom in a mortar so that the seeds are crushed into a coarse powder. Remove the cardamom skins since you won’t be adding them to the pudding.
Ground cardamom. The cardamom skins should be separated out.
Reuse tip: You can use the discarded cardamom skins to make Masala Chai.
Timing tip: You will add the almond slivers and cardamom powder around 45 minutes after you start cooking the pudding.
Cooking
Step 1
Bring the milk to a boil on medium-high heat in a thick bottomed pot to prevent it from burning. This will take about 15 minutes of you’re using milk straight out of the fridge.
Step 2
Reduce the heat and add the drained rice.
Step 3
Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Stir the milk occasionally every 5 minutes or so increasing the frequency as time elapses and the volume of the milk gradually reduces. Also scrape any milk solids from the side of the pot back into the milk. The milk will start to thicken and you will notice that as the volume reduces it starts to bubble more, that’s when we reduce the heat to low.
Step 4
Add sugar, almond slivers (reserve some for the garnish), cardamom powder and saffron strands and continue stirring until the milk has reduced to about half the original volume in about 15 minutes. You can tell that the pudding is ready when the rice and milk don’t separate out when you scoop out a spoonful from the pot.
Spanish Saffron available on Amazon.com
Step 5
Turn off the heat and mix in the raisins.
Step 6
Cool in the refrigerator and serve with almond slivers garnish.
- Servings: 8
- ½ cup Basmati Rice
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ gallon 2% Fat Milk
- ¼ cup Almonds
- 4-5 Green Cardamoms
- 1 box (28 grams) California Raisins (or other raisins)
- Saffron strands (optional)
- Wash the rice 2-3 times until the water the clear. This washes away the excess starch from the grains. I pour some water into the bowl, stir the rice with my fingers and then drain the water and repeat until it is (almost) clear. Soak the rice for about 30 minutes and drain the water.1. Wash the rice 2-3 times until the water the clear. This washes away the excess starch from the grains. I pour some water into the bowl, stir the rice with my fingers and then drain the water and repeat until it is (almost) clear. Soak the rice for about 30 minutes and drain the water.
- Soak the almonds in a bowl of water and microwave for about 2 minutes, let it cool and then peel the almonds and cut them into slivers.
- Crush the cardamom in a mortar so that the seeds are crushed into a coarse powder. Remove the cardamom skins since you won't be adding them to the pudding.
- Bring the milk to a boil on medium-high heat in a thick bottomed pot to prevent it from burning.
- Reduce the heat and add the drained rice.
- Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes and then reduce the heat to low. Stir the milk occasionally every 5 minutes or so increasing the frequency as time elapses and the volume of the milk gradually reduces. Also scrape any milk solids from the side of the pot back into the milk. The milk will start to thicken and you will notice that as the volume reduces it starts to bubble more, that's when we reduce the heat to low.
- Add sugar, almond slivers (reserve some for the garnish), cardamom powder and saffron strands and continue stirring until the milk has reduced to about half the original volume in about 15 minutes. You can tell that the pudding is ready when the rice and milk don't separate out when you scoop out a spoonful from the pot.
- Turn off the heat and mix in the raisins.
- Cool in the refrigerator and serve with almond slivers garnish.
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