Here’s another favorite sweet dish of mine. I love sweet dishes of all types and one of it is Phirni/ Rice Pudding. It is one of the famous sweet dish/ dessert of North India. It is made up of ground rice cooked in milk with sugar and other flavoring agents. It’s a time taking recipe but the end result is very much satisfying. Many think it to be a complex dessert recipe but its quiet easy. In this blog I’ll share the recipe of Phirni/ Rice Pudding which is served chilled after meals as dessert and I must say it is one of the best options for dessert in the festive season.

Preparation Time:  45 minutes

Cooking Time: 01 Hour

Setting Time: 24 Hours maximum

Serves: 06

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice                                                                 ¼ cup

Full Fat Milk                                                                 1 liters

Sugar                                                                             ½ cup

Cardamom Powder                                                      1 tsp

Saffron                                                                          5-10 strands

Almonds                                                                       6-10

Water as required

Earthen Cups/ Bowls                                                   06

Directions:

1. Wash the earthen cups/ bowls with cold water. These earthen cups will be used to set the phirni/ rice pudding. Soak the earthen cups/ bowls in cold water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes take out the earthen cups/ bowls from the water and let them air dry.
2.  Wash the basmati rice once and soak the rice in cold water for 15 minutes. On the other hand soak the saffron strands in 5 tbsp of cold milk and keep it aside.
3. After soaking the rice for 15 minutes, drain the water off and spread the soaked rice on a colander to let it air dry for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Take the air dried rice in a mixer grinder jar and grind the rice in short intervals at least 5 times to get course rice flour. Keep the rice in a bowl. Now add 1 cup of the cold milk to the ground rice and mix well. Keep it aside.
5. Take the remaining milk in a pan and heat it on medium low heat. Let the milk come to a boil. Keep the flame medium low and stir the milk at short intervals.
6. After boiling the milk for 5 to 10 minutes, take the rice soaked milk, stir it well once and add it the boiling milk while stirring the boiling milk to prevent the rice from forming lumps. Stir the milk well to incorporate the rice with the milk.
7. Now cook the rice in the milk till the rice gets cooked and the milk gets thick. Cook the rice and milk on low heat. Keep stirring at short intervals to prevent the rice pudding from sticking on the bottom. If the phirni/ rice pudding gets thick and the rice is still uncooked then add ¼ cups of cold water to the phirni/ pudding, mix well and let the rice get cooked.
8. When the phirni/ pudding gets thick with runny consistency, add sugar, cardamom powder, soaked saffron strands and mix well. When the sugar gets dissolved remove the phirni/ rice pudding from the heat.
9. Take the earthen cups/ bowls and fill them will the phirni/ rice pudding and let it cool for some time. Then cover the earthen cups/ bowls with aluminum foil and keep them set in the refrigerator for maximum 24 hours.
10. Serve the phirni/ rice pudding chilled after 24 hours. Garnished with chopped almonds of any dry fruit of your choice.

Tips: a) You can skip adding the saffron milk but adding the saffron milk gives a mild yellow color to the phirni/ rice pudding which is quiet appealing to the eyes and looks presentable.

b) One can even replace the saffron milk with Kewra Water or Rose water. Add ½ tsp of the scented water to phirni at the end and mix well. When you add the scented water then skip the cardamom powder too as the scented water is over powering.

c) Remember to keep the phirni/ rice pudding of runny consistency and it should not be too thick.