Orange Kheer Recipe - Indian Rice Pudding

Kheer is a type of rice pudding that is cooked all over India and can be prepared easily and quickly with a cooking time of only 25 minutes. You just have to cook together a quarter of a cup of rice (strictly BASMATI) and five cups of milk (whole) in a pan, on low flame. After mixing, turn off when the milk becomes thick and the rice is cooked.

Then add cardamom, raisins and sugar (about half a cup) and mix gently. Then place the portions in cups garnishing, if you like, with almonds. You can also add saffron to the mixture (which also gives it color) or rose water.

A BIT OF HISTORY “For sheer inventiveness with milk as the principal ingredient, no country on earth can equal India.” – Harold McGee In India, milk is not just the morning glass to be drunk before leaving the house. Its uses transcend the dietary and nutritional aspects of human life.

Milk, in India, takes us to a realm that is not mere devotion but deep spirituality. The special importance of milk in India dates back to Hindu mythology, as the legend “Samudra Manthan”, also known as “churning of the ocean of milk”, says, to bring forth the drink of immortality, Amrit (nectar).

In India, milk and its derivatives have a holistic use for religious purposes because they are believed to have regenerative qualities, represent the first food of the child, play important roles in rituals, until the end of human life. India is a home to many cultures and identifying the essence of milk in a dish that was similar in preparation almost everywhere was not that difficult. In the end, it was the very famous sweet dish “Kheer” that could be classified as a recurring dish in all parts of the country.

Kheer can be considered as a rice pudding made of milk, which combines religious, dietary and nutritional aspects in the life of the people of India. It is made by boiling rice and milk and adding, in addition to sugar, other ingredients according to taste, tapioca, cardamom, saffron, raisins, pistachios, cashews, almonds and a whole host of other ingredients that create appetizing aromas.

It is typically served during a meal or at the end as a dessert. It has different names in different parts of the country, but the method of preparation is more or less the same. The mention of Kheer in Ayurveda proves that it was already part of the ancient Indian diet. But very little is known about when the first kheer was prepared or its origins.

The first mention of Kheer, which historians say derives from the Sanskrit word kshirika (meaning a dish prepared with milk), is found in the 14th-century Gujarat epic poem Padmavat, not as a rice pudding but as a sweet made of milk and jowar (sorghum, a grass used for fodder or poultry and now rediscovered as an excellent food for celiacs). Using millet in Kheer was also quite common at the time. The Romans used this dish as a stomach coolant or as part of a cleansing diet.

Unlike the West, where nutmeg became a later addition to flavor kheer, the Indian version has always used cinnamon or cardamom, perhaps to balance the bittersweet taste of jaggery, since sugar, as we know it today, was still an unknown ingredient in India. This has not stopped India from having variations of this simple sweet dish from different states across the country.

In Kerala, Kheer is Payasam and the most popular is found in the temples of Guruvayoor and Ambalappuzha. In the Ambalappuzha temple, payasam is served as part of a tradition, based on an ancient legend. It is said that Lord Krishna took the form of an old sage and challenged the great king of that region to a game of chess.

Being a true chess player, the king gladly accepted the sage's invitation. When the sage asked what he would want if he won, the king was surprised: the sage asked for a number of rice grains for each square of the chessboard and each pile should have double the number of grains of the previous pile.

The king lost and since then the tradition of distributing free payasam in temples began. Other versions are found in the states of Tamil Nadu, also called Payasam, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where it is known as Payasa.

In the city of Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), there is another version of Kheer called “Gil-e-Firdaus” which is quite popular. It is a thick kheer made with milk and pumpkin and has the influence of Nawabi, the Islamic rulers who ruled the state of Hyderabad.

In the South, apart from the common preparation of kheer made with milk and sugar, they also have preparations made with jaggery and coconut milk. In the North, this sweet is known as Kheer, which may be derived from the Sanskrit word Ksheer which means milk. There are more popular versions of North Indian kheer, such as the one prepared during festivals and havan (a ritual of burning offerings) in Varanasi which is made with milk, rice, ghee, sugar, cardamom, dry fruits and kesar (saffron milk).

It is an essential dish in many Hindu festivals and celebrations. Kheer, often made with rice, can also be made with other ingredients, such as vermicelli. The other popular version in North India is called Firni, which was introduced by the Persians who were apparently quite fond of it and were the first to introduce the use of rose water and dry fruits in the dish, which until then had been prepared by just boiling rice with milk.

In Eastern India, the Odia version of rice kheer (Payas in northern Odisha) probably originated in the town of Puri in Orissa about 2000 years ago. It is still cooked today inside the temple precincts. Another popular variant of kheer in Orissa played an important role in the construction of the famous Konark Temple.

Legend has it that the foundation of the Konark temple, in front of the anchorage area in the sea, could not be laid until after many attempts. Every time a stone was thrown into the water, it would sink without a trace. When the project was about to be shelved, the son of the chief architect finally came up with the solution. He used a bowl of hot kheer with rice balls to show the spot where a bridge should be built to allow the foundation of the temple.

That day, the boy also discovered a new form of kheer called “Gointa Godi” kheer, which is now one of the typical sweet dishes of the state. Such was the taste of this dish that after the Kalinga war, it was one of the main dishes in Ashoka's palace. Payas is also considered an auspicious food and generally associated with annaprashana (weaning ritual of a newborn baby), as well as other festivals and birthday celebrations in Orissa families.

In Bengal, it is called Payas or Payesh and many say that in the 6th century, during the visit of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Krishna, to Puri (Orissa), many Bengalis brought Gurer Payesh, one of the most important sweet dishes, from Bengal.

Payas is also considered an auspicious food and is also used in annaprashana (weaning ritual of a newborn baby) and birthday celebrations among Bengalis. In the easternmost part of India, Kheer is known as Payoxh and is light pink in color, with cherries and dry fruits added. Sago (edible starch extracted from a palm tree) is also used in its preparation instead of rice.

In Bihar, Kheer, called “Chawal ki Kheer”, is made with rice, full cream, milk, sugar, cardamom powder, assorted dry fruits and saffron. Another version of this Kheer, called Rasiya, is made with jaggery and jaggery. Kheer can thus be called the Queen Dish among other sweet dishes in India. A sumptuous meal is never complete without this grand yet humble dish.

Anyone can more or less afford it, rich or poor. But what makes it the quintessential dish is its versatility. Kheer can be made with most of the fruits and vegetables known to the culinary world – from the famous apple Kheer, to pumpkin Kheer, jackfruit and even almond which is usually used as a garnish.

But the real popularity of Kheer has been attributed to its religious association and temples. Its shwet (white) color, has helped it become a symbol of purity and divinity. Even though it has evolved over the years from a simple preparation of milk, rice and sugar to a complex preparation with the addition of various ingredients, Kheer retains its charm and taste of the old world style, without ever leaving its roots.

Indian cuisine has earned the deserved reputation of spicy. However, a few days of travel will show you that the range of flavors served at Indian tables is far from being able to describe with a word. The sweets, based on syrup and dairy, are as exciting as they are intense, and although they are not used to serving as a dessert in restaurants, they are the perfect culmination to cleanse the palate of memories of chile.

The Kheer is one of the most popular desserts in India. From the northern peaks of the Himalayas to the coastal regions along the Indian Ocean, everyone enjoys it. The importance of this great Indian pudding is based on the fact that it is appetizing for the palate of different cultures. There is more than one way to prepare Kheer dessert. Cultures throughout India and even worldwide prepare the Kheer according to their respective tastes. The variety is surprising. The Kheer is not only prepared in the traditional way of northern India.

There are cultures that prepare apple and banana Kheer even with a slightly bitter version of the pumpkin (in the city of Hyderabad, a version known as Gil-e-Firdaus). The varieties of Indian dessert do not stop only in India. Neighboring China also has its own version, where the preparation includes fruits and honey and are distributed in layers. Rice with a layer of gelatin is added to this version.

Surprisingly the Kheer has a non-vegetarian variant. In fact some say that initially the Kheer was a meat dish but evolved through the centuries as we know it today. The origin of Kheer remains largely unknown. Although mentions are found in a lot of ancient books of Ayurveda (it is also used for medicinal purposes especially as a coolant and for detoxification) and in the ancient Hindi poem in Padmavat, its origin remains debatable.

Popular opinion however falls in favor of the Indian subcontinent because the word Kheer is derived from a Sanskrit word Ksheera which means milk. The Kheer has a very deep religious association in India. It is to date used as an offering in most Bids and Hawans. The invocation to the gods is considered incomplete without him. In spiritual Dhams like Jagannath Puri, Orissa the Prasad is known as the Kheer Prasad.

In the deep south of India, it is known as Payasam and is diluted more than its counterpart in North India. In the famous temple of Ambalapuzha, payasam serves as prasadam to all devotees. In contemporary times, we also have what is known as Kheer Pasta, Kheer Oats, and even Cucumber Kheer. This is indicative of the evolutionary stages that the great Indian pudding has to go through.

We share with you a Komolar Kheer recipe, for a Diwali full of Indian style sweetness. The Kheer Komola is a traditional Indian easy to digest dessert similar to the English rice pudding. If, however, the rice pudding evokes extreme cloying and lounges where dusty chintz reigns supreme, the kheer is delicate and fragrant also suitable for closing a fancy dinner maybe decorated with edible gold leaf that works great as a comfort food for rainy evening.

Kheer is a traditional Indian sweet cooked with rice or vermicelli, milk, sugar and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, pistachios or almonds. The kheer is a traditional Indian dessert similar to the popular English rice pudding of Victorian memory. If, however, the rice pudding evokes cloying and salons where chintz dusty reigns supreme, the kheer is delicate and fragrant also suitable for closing a fancy dinner maybe decorated with edible gold leaf, not as free-range used by me.

Kheer, the most typical delicious dessert of India of which I have already mentioned several times, is that dessert that brings with it the feeling of India. The preparation of kheer, along with its lightness and goodness make it a sweet repeat ad infinitum, because you can eat without fear.

Prep Time: 15 mins ♥ Cook Time: 40 mins ♥ Total Time: 55 mins ♥ Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition: 244 calories, 10.2 grams fat

Ingredients:

4 cups milk
1 cup condensed milk
2 cups broken vermicelli/Seviyan
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cardamom powder
4 oranges
1 tsp saffron
2 tbsp almonds, pistachios, cashews, raisins
1 tsp vanilla essence

Recipe Method:

Peel the skin of oranges and remove the thin transparent coating from each orange segment and shred it.

In a deep thick pan, add the milk and seviyan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and start stirring. Add the condensed milk and stir and reduce to half the original quantity.

Thicken the milk till it changes it’s colour to a nice cream colour, stirring in between to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the vessel. Add the shredded orange, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron powder, lower the flame and cook for 15 minutes.

Cool to room temperature and chill in fridge for 4 hours and serve chilled topped with nuts and vanilla essence.