Gil-e-firdaus
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A rich milk pudding of bottle gourd and rice, thickened slowly and flavoured with cardamom and nuts; its name means 'clay of paradise'.
Region: Hyderabad, TelanganaOccasion: Weddings, Eid and special mealsTime: 1 hourServes: 6Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 litre full-cream milk
- 1 cup peeled, grated bottle gourd (lauki)
- 2 tbsp rice, soaked 30 minutes and coarsely ground
- ½ cup sugar
- 100 g khoa (mawa), crumbled
- 1 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp each sliced almonds, cashews and pistachios
Method
- Squeeze the grated gourd and sauté it in ghee for 5 minutes.
- Boil the milk, add the ground rice and simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes.
- Add the gourd and keep simmering until the rice and gourd are soft and the milk has thickened.
- Stir in the sugar and khoa and cook for 10 more minutes until creamy.
- Add cardamom and nuts. Serve warm or chilled.
History
Gil-e-firdaus is one of the refined milk desserts of Hyderabad's Deccani cuisine, named for its smooth, clay-like texture.
Significance
It is served at weddings and Eid as a richer alternative to everyday kheer.