Gajar ki Kheer/ Indian Rice Pudding with carrots
By: Tanya Kohli
Published: Friday, January 20, 2012 - 1:03am

Ingredients




For the Gajar ki Kheer (Seves 3-4 people)
1 Litre Full cream milk
3 Heaped Tablespoons Rice (If using long Basmati- then advisable to crush it first)
2 Heaped Tablespoons Sugar
Some Strands of Saffron
2-3 Ground Green Cardamom
Half a Carrot, peeled and grated

Preparation

1 Bring the milk to a boil in a heavily-bottomed pan, and add the sugar. 2 Add the rice and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. 3 The milk will thicken and it is very crucial to stir occasionally. The rice will get cooked slowly. 4 Cook for at least 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the quantity gets reduced to about half. 5 Add the carrots, and cook for another 5-10 minutes until they cooked (not too soggy) and the Kheer looks pinkish. 6 Add the Cardamom and saffron simultaneously and cook for about a couple of more minutes. 7 Remove from heat and serve warm or let it cool a bit and serve chilled. 8 p.s. I got rave reviews for this; although a day later, when my dad had it- he thought it could have been cooked a tad but more. Tip- Do taste the consistency of the rice before removing from heat- it has to be soggy.

About

I have very fond, winter memories of Gajar ki Kheer made at my parents’ home with carrots. It is just like the regular kheer, but with a dash of carrots, to add some color. Made only in winters, it is wonderful, especially when eaten, fresh and warm. Traditional kheer has its origins in India and is made with milk and rice. Owing to India’s multi-regional nature, different versions of kheer are available in various parts of the country; Payassam in south India (made with jiggery and coconut milk) and in Bengal (with vermicelli and jiggery). This I assume, and can safely say is the Punjabi version from North India, hit by severe winters. The specialty of this is that its charm is only in peak winters, when bright red carrots are available in the market.