Goodness of kheer and all you need to know about it
Kheer Recipe
Kheer is a form of rice pudding made with rice, water and milk with added ingredients like cashew, Raisins and many more. It is a sweet dessert which is served after dinner mostly. This dessert is found in numerous countries, especially in Asia as rice is the staple food in here.
Such a rice pudding is known as kheer or Firni. It is from the subcontinent of India and is mainly made with sugar, milk and rice. At times instead of rice wheat, tapioca and vermicelli can also be used. To add flavors, cardamom, cashew, dry fruits and saffron are used to garnish. It has been originated in Iran by the Muslims.
This delicacy has some varieties:
- Meetha bhaat
- Payasam
- Payasa
- Firni
Origin and the history
Romans used to have this dish as detox since it acted as a stomach coolant. It has been said that the first mention of the word came into existence in the Sanskrit known as kshirika which means a dish which is prepared with milk or dairy products. The Persians had another variation of this dish called Firni in which dry fruits and rose water is used to give it a soothing fragrance. Shola-e-Zard a popular cuisine prepared by the Afghanis is similar to kheer recipe it is all decorated with an edible gold leaf. It was a cold dessert for them.
Even during the Ming Dynasty in China they prepared this cuisine, in which fruits soaked in honey were used for the garnishing. It was called the eight jewel rice pudding by them. While the European saw the dish as a baked dessert during the seventeenth century. Indians are fond of this dessert for the past few centuries. This dish is requisite in India due to its importance in festivals and as it is related to religious offering in temples. During the Chola Dynasty this dish was considered to be pure and divine because of its white color which came due to the rice used in it.
Ingredients necessary in kheer recipe
- Basmati rice
- Full cream milk
- Sugar as per requirement
- Cardamom powder
- Saffron
- Almonds
- Dry fruits as per our choice
Nutrition facts
One serving of 225g contains 263 calories.
11g of Total fat is present.
Cholesterol in one serving contains 19mg.
Protein in one serving is 8.3mg.
It also contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron in very small amount.
Interesting fact
When Konark Temple was being constructed in the 13th century, this cuisine played an important role. Legends say that during the foundation of the temple could not be laid properly due to the sea nearby. All the stones would drown in the water. Soon the son of the architect came with an idea, where he used a warm bowl of firni to show how a foundation can be constructed. Rice balls were used to show his idea.