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Kheer/Pal Payasam (Indian Rice Pudding)
By
DK
on Oct 14, 2009
Just like Halloween is unthinkable without Pumpkins, so is an Indian festival without this Kheer. "Kheer" in Hindi denotes sweet pudding commonly referring to Rice Pudding. Although there exists myriad varieties, this rice pudding rules the roost. You might even call it the King of the Indian sweet puddings. Any celebration, any traditional function and what more, even for day to day entertaining this Rice pudding finds its way into the menu. It is also known as "Pal Payasam" in the South of India - "Pal" denotes milk and "Payasam" is for Pudding.
Unlike most of its counterparts, this is one Indian sweet which is very simple and easy to make. In fact bringing out the richness and elegance with simplistic of ingredients is what makes it numero uno in my opinion. The slow cooking of the milk along with rice creates that delicious thick rich flavor. Though it takes time to prepare, there exists multitude of quick versions which make life so simple. If you have say only 20 or so minutes and you need to make this sweet, then simply pressure cook rice with milk for 2-3 whistles (takes about 10 minutes in small pressure cooker). Now pour this in another saucepan, add condensed milk, sugar and nuts. There you have it :)
But try the following method at least once. Its totally worth it if you have never made it. This is most loved pudding in my family and especially my father is a die-hard fan of this sweet. I could not help but miss him terribly while making it in my kitchen miles away! You can make it as sweet you want. I prefer very mild sweet hence added only 2-3 tbsp but you can add more if you want to. My recipe is in no way different from many of them available on the net although I use short grained / medium grained rice. I think this is more suited than the Basmati rice which is asked for in many recipes.
Basic Information
Prep Time: Under 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min to 1 hour
Serves: 2 people
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup short/medium grained rice
- 4 cups whole milk (go for low fat only if absolutely necessary)
- sugar to taste - I used 3 tbsp ( 1/4- 1/2 cup should be enough )
- pinch of saffron
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1-2 tbsp nuts ( I used almonds, pistachios and cashews)
- 4-5 raisins (or more if you like it)
- 1 tsp Ghee (preferred more than butter)
Method
1
In a saucepan, heat the ghee. Add the chopped nuts along with raisins. Set aside when raisins get plump and nuts turn reddish brown.
2
In the same pan, roast the rice for 2-3 minutes in low heat.
3
Now add the milk. Increase the heat to med-high and let it come to a boil
4
Give it an occasional stir so that the milk does not stick to the bottom. Non stick pan works great for this. Also take care not to let the milk burn. Even a little burn spoils the milk. Add sugar and give it a stir.
5
Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the milk has reduced in half. Keep stirring often. You know its done when the milk has reduced and also the rice has cooked and is soft (not mushy). This process takes approximately 20-30minutes.
6
Add rest of the ingredients - saffron, cardamom and half of the roasted nuts.
7
Give it a stir until combined and serve garnished with the remaining nuts.
You can serve it hot or cold.
The pudding thickens with time - you can rectify it by adding more warm milk to it.
The pudding thickens with time - you can rectify it by adding more warm milk to it.
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my mom is a huuuuuge fan of kheer and i shall be making this for her tomorrow on mother’s daay! hopefully it turns out good
hey …i was wondering if i can add boiled rice to the reducing milk? as boiled rice is a common leftover in north indian households!!! or does the milk needs to cook in rice starch??
I almost ruined every step of it (natural considering i never succeed in making any form kheer
), but for a change the end product was just yummy 
…… will be preparing again tomorrow in public demand 
Can this recipe be made 3 or 4 days before serving?
I love u r recipes mun vich pani aagya g
Hey, I’m planning on making kheer for diwali. will be entertaining abt 8 guests. My confusion is with the quantity. how much kheer will this recipe yeild? (I like to serve the kheer cold and “set” so that would be lesser than if it was warm n runny. hence.
That’s ‘cos in India, there is nothing called Pudding rice available. Hence medium grained is used more often – in the South and Basmati or long grained rice in the North. But you can of course use the pudding rice. It does taste best –DK
Thank u for this fabulous recipe and the pictures helped!
Hello! I would like to try this recipe. Please tell me which rice should I use? Basmathi? Looking forward to hear from the owner of this recipe. Thank you.
Like I have mentioned ideally short/medium grained rice would be perfect for this kheer – the one you use for your day to day cooking. Basmati is long grained rice but would work fine too –DK
It’s a very delicious kheer and reminded of my special young moments. Thnx a lot.
Please believe me…what a great recipe..I live in abroad and wanted to make just only kheer..but I got more than normal kheer by reading your recipe…thanks a lot…
Awesome…Looks delicious
So sweet
this recipe is soo yummy and it really helps. i made it for the first time and served it to my mother and she was shocked and from that day she allowed me to cook for our relatives thanks for the recipe its so easy
First i hve to soak the rice or what?
todaez ma boifrnz birthdae n im makin dis 4 him…jus lyk said above,indian occasion n celebration is tasteless widout sweetin our taste buds wid dis delicious kheer!!!i neva knew hw to mke dis b4 bt u mde it possible.thnx a lot!!
iits ymiiiiiii
i would like 2 make it….
its 2 ymmi…….
i would lik 2 make it.
Hi DK. I am presently in Peru and our Kheer over here is called Aroz con leche. Its a lot over here and considered a very good after food dilicacy. But recently i cooked the same in our style as suggested by you and these guys have forgotten their Aroz con Leche. Many thanks for the recipe.
One thing I liked best about this site is the amount of information you provide before the actual recipe and the the photograph of each stage with picture which really helps a lot while cooking
This is the best kheer recipe I have ever come across. Thank you so much for putting it here…now I am confident of making a very good kheer
i have tried this recipe and it comes out very good
i amm just making it now
Just making it now. Let’s see how it turns out but looks good.
how about putting mawa into it?will it help in making the kheer more thick without much of a boiling?
Loved this recipe! I made kheer for the first time a few days back and used this recipe. It’s simple, easy & turns out beautifully! Thanks again, and love the website.
Thank you so much Amisha
–DK