What is Kheer?

A bowl of kheer is like a comfort blanket for any Indian. Hot or cold, the spice-speckled milky rice is thinner and more flavoursome than the mass of bland rice pudding that enriches memories of school dinners.

Growing up, my mother would take Kheer to the temple as offerings at Diwali. After it was blessed, it would be distributed to people to eat. I don’t know whether it was because of the blessings or because we had to wait so long that made it taste more delicious. I’m leaning towards the latter.

What kind of rice should I use?

Traditionally, Kheer is made with basmati rice and not short-grain pudding rice. It can be made directly from washed and soaked aged basmati or with leftover cooked rice (less creamy than the former). Basmati rice makes a huge difference to the flavour of the Kheer and is what differentiates it from traditional western rice pudding recipes.

Mixing rice

Controversial disclosure: My recipe for Kheer uses a 50/50 combination of aged basmati and short-grain pudding rice. Not only does this add the fragrance of traditional Kheer, it also ensures a level of creaminess that makes me weak at the knees. Having said this, feel free to mix things up by using 100% basmati or 100% short-grain rice if you like. There are no hard and fast rules, only personal preferences. After all, the rice is just a carrier for copious amounts of milk and/or cream in any rice pudding recipe.

Rice pudding, remixed

Name a better combo than white chocolate and raspberries. I’ll wait. Stir chopped white chocolate through the cooked Kheer and allow it to melt into a liquid gold puddle right before your eyes. Not only does it smell like a chocolate shop, it also adds a silky, melted ganache vibe that demands the tart juiciness of fresh raspberries.

Serve the finished Kheer hot, warm or cold but most importantly, don’t forget the berries and extra chocolate shavings on top.

How can I veganise this White Chocolate & Raspberry Kheer?

I haven’t tested a vegan version of this recipe. That being said, you could try it with almond milk and coconut cream. There are some wonderful vegan white chocolate brands available now. iChoc have a great one.

Ingredients you’ll need to make White Chocolate & Raspberry Kheer

• Aged basmati rice
• Short-grain pudding rice
• Whole milk
• Sugar
• Cardamom
• Saffron
• Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• Raspberries
• White chocolate
• Dark chocolate
• Flaked almonds
• Chopped pistachios

How to make White Chocolate & Raspberry Kheer

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White Chocolate & Raspberry Kheer

White Chocolate & Raspberry Kheer is an Indian-style rice pudding supercharged with spices, juicy berries and luxurious chocolate shavings.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chocolate, pudding, raspberries, rice, rice pudding, white chocolate

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Equipment

• Large, heavy-based saucepan

Ingredients

• 75 g aged basmati rice
• 75 g short-grain pudding rice
• 1.6 L full-fat milk
• 200 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 5 cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed
• 8-10 strands saffron
• 1 tbsp flaked almonds
• 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
• 100 g white chocolate chopped

Topping:

• 100 g fresh raspberries
• Shaved white chocolate
• Shaved dark chocolate

Instructions

• Mix the rice together in a bowl and rinse briefly. Don’t rinse away too much starch as this is what will make the Kheer creamy.
• Put the rice into a large, heavy-based saucepan. A non-stick pan is ideal as the milk will will be less likely to catch and burn at the base of the pan. Pour in the milk and add the sugar, cardamom, saffron and vanilla. Stir and bring to the boil.
• Stirring frequently, simmer the Kheer uncovered on a medium-low heat. Once it begins to thicken, you’ll need to stir more often. Once reduced to the consistency of thin porridge or cake batter, beat the Kheer with a wooden spoon until the grains are soft and tender. This isn’t the time for al dente rice.
• Switch off the heat and gently stir in the cream, nuts and chopped white chocolate. Continue to mix until melted. The cold cream will help reduce the temperature of the Kheer so the chocolate doesn’t seize up.
• Serve hot or cold with raspberries and chocolate shavings. I haven’t specified quantities for the chocolate shavings because let’s be honest, who am I to tell you how much chocolate to put on top?

Notes

• If you want sweeter Kheer, add 1 tbsp more sugar. Indeed, feel free to omit the sugar completely you don’t want to add it. The sweetness mostly comes from chocolate in this recipe.

• Add 2 tsp rosewater for a delicious raspberry and rose Kheer. It really is delicious this way.

• If you don’t like white chocolate, you could stir in chopped dark chocolate. You may need to adjust the sugar quantities slightly given that white chocolate is much sweeter than dark chocolate.

• For the chocolate shavings: Using a sharp knife, carefully scrape the back of a large chocolate bar starting at the side furthest from you. Keep your fingers and body out of the way and use two hands to scrape the surface with the knife, in a long motion. Alternatively, grate the chocolate using a microplane or use a vegetable peeler.

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