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Kheer (payasam)

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Rice slow-cooked in milk with cardamom and nuts. A temple offering and a festival sweet everywhere in India.

Region: All of IndiaOccasion: Festivals, temple offerings, celebrationsTime: 50 minServes: 4Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 litre full-cream milk
  • ¼ cup short-grain rice, soaked 30 minutes
  • ⅓ cup sugar or jaggery
  • 4 green cardamoms, crushed
  • A few saffron strands (optional)
  • 2 tbsp chopped almonds and cashews

Method

  1. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy pan.
  2. Add the drained rice. Simmer on low heat for 35–45 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't stick, until the rice is soft and the milk thickens.
  3. Add sugar, cardamom and saffron and cook for 5 more minutes. If using jaggery, let the kheer cool slightly first and then stir it in, so the milk does not split.
  4. Add the nuts. Serve warm or chilled.

History

Rice cooked in milk, called payasa (from payas, milk), appears in ancient Indian literature. In Buddhist tradition, Sujata offered a bowl of milk-rice to Siddhartha before his enlightenment at Bodh Gaya.

Significance

Kheer and payasam are offered as prasad in temples and made for festivals, birthdays and family celebrations. The palpayasam of Ambalappuzha in Kerala is famous.

Sources