Phirni (Grounded Rice Pudding)

Phirni is a very excuisite Indian dessert made with grounded rice and nuts and cooked in thickened milk. It is quite similar to rice pudding, but the extra ingredients is nuts and the consistency is also thicker than the rice pudding. It has a quite distinct and exotic flavour. It's a perfect chilled dessert for summer....

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice : 50 gm.
Milk : 500 ml.
Sugar : 2/3 cup (or according to your taste)
Cashew nuts : about 15 pieces.
Rose water : 1 tsp.
Cardamom powder : 1 tsp.

Method :

1. In a grinder, grind rice into a course powder, not totally in powder. Do same with the cashew nuts.
2. In a deep saucepan, mix the sugar into the milk and bring it to boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to simmer, stirrring continuously, until milk is reduced by about a quarter.
3. Then add rice and nuts, stirring time to time, continue cooking. Keep scraping the sides of the pan and add it to the milk, it gives a beautiful creamy texture. Taste to see if it is sweet enough, if not, add some more sugar. 
4. When the rice is soft and the texture is quite thick, add rose water. Mix well. The consistency of phirni is thick, not runny like rice pudding/Kheer. Remove from heat, sprinkle grounded cardamom powder. 
5. Serve into individual serving bowl and chill. Once it chills, a creamy skin appears on top.  Traditionally, phirni is served in earthen bowls.
6. You can decorate with chopped pistachio nuts and saffron strands. 
7. Serve any time of the day on hot scorching summer. It's just a delightful dessert........nobody will refuse.

For a variation, try this Mango Phirni during summer season when Mangoes are abundant in market..

After phirni is ready and you remove it from heat, cool down completely and add 1 cup mango puree. Mix well and then serve into individual bowls and decorate.