Just like Halloween is unthinkable without Pumpkins, so is an Indian festival without Kheer. Kheer in Hindi denotes sweet pudding commonly referring to Rice Pudding. Although there exists myriad varieties, this rice pudding rules the roost. You might even call it the King of the Indian sweet puddings. Any celebration, any traditional function and what more, even for day to day entertaining this Rice pudding finds its way into the menu. It is also known as “Pal Payasam” in the South of India – “Pal” denotes milk and “Payasam” is for Pudding.
This Indian sweet is very simple and easy to make. It brings out the richness and elegance with simplistic of ingredients is what makes it numero uno. The slow cooking of the milk along with rice makes that delicious thick rich flavor.
It takes time to prepare, there exists multitude of quick versions which make life so simple. If you have say only 20 or so minutes and you need to make this sweet, then simply pressure cook rice with milk for 2-3 whistles which may take about 10 minutes in small pressure cooker. After that pour this in another saucepan, add condensed milk, sugar and nuts.
But try the following method at least once. Its totally worth it if you have never made it and you are going to love it. If you prefer very mild sweet you may add only 2-3 tbsp but you can add more if you want to. You may use short grained / medium grained rice which is more suited than the Basmati rice.