Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

This rice pudding gives you all sorts of flavors; rich crunchy roasted nuts, sun-ripened sweetness of golden raisins, and reducing the milk makes the dairy flavor pop. This particular rice pudding is special. It's called Kheer/Pal Payasam which is Indian rice pudding which is made for holidays and events. The pictures on DK's "The Chef in You" blog were awesome and the descriptions so friendly, I had to try making it. My daughter and I had this for bedtime snack (the dog had a small smackrel too).

Toast the rice in the same pan, it will pick up the butter and I think the flavor is a richer. I had long grain Jasmine rice, the original recipe suggests short grain rice for best results.

Reduce the milk by half. Stay with the pan. Don't let the milk scorch. Seriously. You've burned cream of mushroom soup before, right? Gross. No scorching.

Kheer/Pal Payasam (as close as I could come from my pantry)
1 t butter
1-2 T nuts (almonds and cashews, carefully picked out of the Kirkland snack mix)
1/4 C rice (I used long grain Jasmine)
4 C milk (I used 2%)
Sugar 1/4 C
pinch of saffron (I didn't have any so I used a pinch of cinnamon)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder (Didn't have this either so I used 1/4 t fresh ground nutmeg)
1 T golden raisins

Chop the nuts. In a saute pan melt the butter then add the nuts and raisins. Cook until the nuts start to brown and the raisins puff up. Remove the nuts and raisins from the pan and put them aside in a bowl for later. Put the rice into the same saute pan and toast. In a soup pan add the milk, and then stir in the rice. Bring the mixture to a low boil and add the sugar. Stir regularly and continue to cook on a low boil for 30 minutes. Stay with the pan, stirring, stirring. Do not scorch the milk. The milk will reduce by half. Remove from the heat and add the spices and half of the nuts. Serve and sprinkle with remaining nuts.

Recipe Source: ChefInYou.com, Kheer/Pal Payasam by D.K.