Phirni is a milk-based pudding made from ground up rice, enjoyed across South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan. They say it originated from the Mughal Empire and was served in flat earthen pots. It's best enjoyed cold, and is the perfect conclusion to a heavy Indian meal such as biryani.
Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 60gms or 1/3 cup
Sugar- 180gms or 3/4 cup
Full cream milk- 1liter
Almonds - 2 tablespoons, slivered
Pistachios - 2 tablespoons, slivered
Cardamoms- 6 pods, powdered
Kewra water- 1 tablespoon
Rose water - 1 tablespoon
And the last and most important ingredient...lots of patience!
Method
1. Wash the rice and completely dry on a paper towel.
2. Once the rice is dried, coarse grind the rice in a mixie.
3. Add the milk and coarse ground rice to a large heavy bottomed pan and heat on low flame continuously stirring. Make sure that the rice doesn't stick or burn at the bottom.
4. Continue cooking on low flame for 40 minutes. By this time the milk and rice mixture should have thickened considerably. And will look like this.
5. Now add the sugar and powdered cardamom and continue stirring.
**This timing is crucial as the rice could easily stick and burn which will make the phirni inedible.
6. Continue stirring and cooking for another 15-20 minutes till the consistency is thick like pudding. Turn off the flame and allow to cool.
7. Once slightly cooled add the kewra water and rose water. Stir.
8. Pour the phirni into a serving bowl and garnish with the slivered almonds and pistachio.
Serve chilled. This recipe serves around 6-8 people.
To dress it up you may use gold / silver varq, or add some dried rose petals as a decoration. Some even put some saffron which gives the phirni a golden hue like the ones you get in Kolkata at biryani joints.
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