Kashmiri Recipes
RECIPE NO. 165
'Khir'
(E-Rice Pudding) (H-'Chavalon ki Khir')
This is a Sweet Dish usually
prepared by 'Hindus' on some auspicious occasions, to be offered to
Deities as 'Nived'. It is a very good Dessert as well.
| 1. White Rice |
150gm |
| 2. Milk |
1 litre |
| 3. Whole Milk Powder (8 tbsps), or
Fresh 'Khoya' (200 gm) |
| 4. Sugar |
1/2 kg |
| 5. Almond Kernels |
25 gm |
| 6. Raisins |
25 gm |
| 7. Dry Dates |
50 gm |
| 8. Dry Coconut |
50 gm |
| 9. Musk Melon shelled Seeds |
10 gm |
| 10. Black Cardamoms |
3 nos |
| 11. Green Cardamoms |
5 nos |
| 12. 'Kewra' essence |
5 drops |
| 13. Cashew Nuts |
5 nos |
| 14. Pistachio Nuts |
10 gm |
| 15. Saffron |
a few stigmas |
1. Clean, wash in several waters, and soak the
Rice in 1/4 litre of water for 2 hours before cooking.
2. Blanch Almond Kernels by soaking in hot water
and then peeling the skins. Split each into two halves, along with Cashew
Nuts.
3. Soak the dry Dates in hot water for an hour
and after washing these, cut each lengthwise into 5 or 6 slices, after
removing the horny tops and also discard stones.
4. Pare Coconut with a sharp knife, and whittle
crosswise into thin shavings, of about 1" length.
5. Clean the shelled Musk Melon Seeds, by
discarding any unshelled or bad Seeds and hull pieces. Wash these.
After removing the shells of Pistachio Nuts,
whittle these, with a sharp knife, into thin shavings.
7. Take out the Seeds of Black and Green
Cardamoms,
and crush these separately into small granules, and keep aside in two
plates.
8. Stem and wash the Raisins.
9. After reserving in separate bowls, for
garnishing, about one fourth of Raisins, split Cashew Nuts and Almond
Kernels, and all the Green Cardamom granules, mix the remaining split
Almonds and Cashew Nuts, and Raisins along with Coconut shavings. Keep
these aside in a bowl.
10. Mix in a bowl thoroughly the Milk Powder or
grated 'Khoya', with a cup of water or Milk.
1. Pour Milk in the body of a pressure cooker, and
bring it to a boil. Add the soaked Rice after draining all water. Stir and
close the lid. After maximum pressure is developed, reduce heat and cook
under pressure for 15 minutes. Remove cooker from heat and allow the
pressure to subside, and then open lid and add Sugar, and resume heating,
while stirring with an inverted ladle, so that the soft cooked Rice and
Milk etc mix nicely, and at the same time it does not adhere to the bottom
and cake. Add the mixed split Almond Kernels, Cashew Nuts, Raisins,
Coconut shavings and Date slices, while continuing to stir with the
inverted ladle. Cook for 10 minutes in all after the heating was resumed.
2. Now go on adding, while stirring with the
ladle, the Milk Powder or 'Khoya' mixed with water or Milk, to the
boiling pudding and let cook for another 5 minutes, till a homogeneous 'Khir'
is ready.
3. Remove the cooker from the stove and add the
Essence and Black Cardamon granules and stir again. Transfer the 'Khir'
to a Service Bowl, and garnish with prepared Almonds, Cashew Nuts, and
Raisins, kept apart for this purpose. Sprinkle the granules of Green
Cardamoms along with the Saffron stigmas, after moistening these a little.
Generally 'Khir' is served hot during winter and cold in summer,
after refrigeration.
