Recipe credit: Darshana Muzumdar
Serves 4 as part of a traditional Indian meal. This kheer is also traditionally served with Puran Poli when it is made without the jaggery.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice
- 2 cups jaggery
- 1 or 2 fresh or dried turmeric leaves for flavouring
- 1½ coconuts freshly grated to make coconut milk
- 6 to 7 cups of water
- Salt to taste
Method
- Clean, wash, and drain the rice. Place the rice and turmeric leaves in a thick bottomed steel pot, add 6 to 7 cups of water and cook on a low flame till the rice has become really soft. Or cook it in a cooker (one whistle is usually enough).
- Stir or mash the rice with the back of a spatula or with a potato masher until it blends in the water and becomes a thick paste like consistency.
- Add the jaggery and salt and cook for another few minutes till all the jaggery is dissolved in the rice mixture.
- While the rice is cooking, put the grated coconut into a blender jar and pour enough water to just cover it. Grind this to a fine consistency. Pour the ground mixture into a muslin cloth placed over a pot and strain the coconut milk and keep aside.
- Add the coconut milk to the cooked rice, stir it well, and remove from the heat immediately otherwise it will curdle.
- Serve hot or cold with a traditional Indian meal. If you want to serve it with Puran Poli, do not add the jaggery and add enough salt to taste.
For the whole food plant based (WFPB) version:
- Use either date paste or sweet raisin paste instead of jaggery. Soak the dates if they are not soft. If you are using raisins, you will need to soak them for at least 4-5 hours before grinding them.
- Use very finely ground coconut without straining it instead of coconut milk. The fibre also adds to the consistency and makes the kheer more filling.