Kheer
کھیر
Kheer is the dessert of Eid mornings, of Muharram niyaz, and of any day someone in the family wants to celebrate. It needs only four main ingredients and almost no skill, just time: an hour of slow simmering and stirring while the milk reduces and the rice melts into it.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 10 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 1 hr
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Bring the milk to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed , stirring often so it doesn't catch on the bottom.
Add the rice and lower the heat. Simmer for 35–40 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom and sides, until the rice is completely soft and the milk has thickened and turned creamy.
Stir in the sugar and cardamom. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring, until the kheer coats the back of a spoon. It will thicken a lot more as it cools.
Turn off the heat and stir in half the nuts. Let it cool, stirring now and then so no skin forms, then chill for at least 2 hours.
Serve chilled in small bowls, topped with the rest of the almonds and pistachios.
Kitchen notes
Add the sugar only once the rice is completely soft. Sugar added too early keeps the grains firm.
Lightly crushing the soaked rice between your palms releases starch and makes the kheer creamier.
Use the heaviest pot you have and scrape the bottom every time you stir. Scorched milk flavours the whole pot.
A dessert for celebrations
Kheer is one of the oldest sweets of the subcontinent and still one of the most loved. In Pakistan it appears at Eid, at weddings, at religious gatherings where it’s shared with neighbours, and in earthenware bowls (kunnay) at food streets, where the clay gives it a faint earthy flavour.
Patience is the only technique
There are no tricky steps. Milk and rice simply need time over low heat to reduce and blend. The rice releases starch, the milk loses water and caramelises very slightly, and the two become one creamy pudding. Stirring and scraping the bottom regularly is the only thing that stops it from catching.
Variations
- Kewra or rose water: a few drops stirred in at the end give the fragrance of wedding kheer.
- Saffron: soak a pinch in warm milk and add with the sugar.
- Gur (jaggery): swap the sugar for grated jaggery, stirred in off the heat so the milk doesn’t split.
Which rice to use
Basmati is the usual choice in Pakistani homes, and broken basmati, sold cheaply as kani or tota rice, is perfect: it softens faster and releases more starch. Short-grain rice also works well and gives an even creamier kheer. Avoid parboiled (sella) rice, because its grains stay separate however long you cook them, and kheer needs them to melt into the milk.
Making kheer for a crowd
For niyaz and large gatherings, kheer is often cooked in huge degs, and the same ratio holds: roughly ½ cup of rice to every 2 litres of milk, with ⅔ cup of sugar. A bigger batch takes longer to reduce, so allow an extra 20 to 30 minutes and use the widest pot you can find. Pour it into shallow bowls or clay kunnay while it’s still warm and pourable, then chill; it sets as it cools.
Questions people ask
My kheer is too thin. What do I do?
Keep simmering and stirring for another 10–15 minutes. Also remember it thickens a lot in the fridge; it should still pour slowly when hot.
It's too thick after chilling.
Stir in a few tablespoons of cold milk until it loosens to the texture you like.
How long does kheer keep?
Up to 3 days in a covered bowl in the fridge.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 12 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
