Satisfy your festive cravings with ‘Phirni’

Made with rich ingredients like basmathi rice, milk, safforn, rose water and nuts, phirni is a must-eat dish this Diwali

By Indira Ireni

‘Phirni’ is a delightful and delicious Indian sweet that was famous during the Mughal era. A wet pudding similar to kheer, it is also referred as payasam and payes. Different parts of India have their own types of phirni variants like Punjabi, Kashmiri and Hyderabadi phirni. Generally made with basmathi rice, milk, sugar and flavoured with cardamom, saffron and rose water, it is garnished with nuts fried in ghee and rose petals. It can be made with other ingredients replacing rice like vermicelli, sago pearls, lentils and sweet corn and oats. It can be served warm or chilled on preference.Phirni is a must-have dish across North India for special occasions like marriage, Diwali and Karwah Chauth and is prepared in the holy month of Ramadan. This delicacy differs from kheer because of its rich and creamy texture and scrumptious taste. It has variants like kesar phirni, badam phirni , mango phirni and apple phirni. It takes the taste to the next level when served chilled in traditional earthen bowls (matkis/mitti ke kulhad). Try this dish out this festive season and relish it thoroughly with family and friends.

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Ingredients

Basmati rice: 4 tbsp
Milk: 1 litre
Khoa: 3 tbsp
Cashew nut powder: 4 tbsp
Sugar: 4-5 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Rose water: As per taste
Almonds and pistachios

Method

Soak basmati rice for 1/2 hour and grind it coarsely in a mixie jar. Transfer the ground paste to a bowl.

Take a non-stick pan, boil the milk. Keep stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the base. Boil till the milk thickens a bit.

After 10-15 minutes, add some water to the basmati rice paste and add it to the boiling milk. This avoids lumps.

Boil on low flame. Keep stirring till the mixture thickens.

Add cashew nut powder (optional) and pistachios powder. Almond paste can also be added instead of cashew nut powder.

Add 4-5 tbsp sugar and mix.

Add khova and mix.

After it thickens, add cardamom powder, 2 tbsp of ghee and mix.

Cut off the stove and let it cool down. Garnish with cashew nuts and raisins. Serve chilled.

Stay Tuned to Hyderabadi Ruchulu column for more recipes. YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/hyderabadiruchulu. Website: www.hyderabadi ruchulu.com.

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