RICE KHEER RECIPE / AKKI HALU PAYASA RECIPE / PAL PAYASAM

Rice Kheer recipe | Rice Kheer recipe with step by step photos | How to make Rice Kheer | Akki Payasa recipe | Akki Halu Payasa | Pal Payasam

Rice Kheer .. a traditional , classy , rich , creamy dessert that is very easy to make and the end result .. slurpp !!! It’s known as Akki halu payasa in Karnataka and Pal payasam in Tamilnadu . Addition of cardamom and saffron makes this rice kheer so flavorful . Flavored delicately, this indulgent rice pudding is indeed a crowd pleaser .

If you are in the look out of more simlar kheer recipes .. you can check sabudana kheer , phool makhana kheer , Carrot kheer , Moong payasam etc

About The Recipe

Rice Kheer aka Akki Payasa is basically Indian version of pudding where in we slow-cook rice in whole milk and later sugar is added as a sweetener . Addition of cardamom , cloves , bay leaf and saffron makes this rice kheer so flavorful . And addition of soaked nuts paste makes the kheer more creamy and highly irresistible .

It’s one of the common dessert made during Shivaratri , Navaratri ,Nagara Panchami , weddings or get togethers

The best part of rice kheer is ingredients required to make this dessert is easily available in pantry and one can hardly make errors. There are many ways one can make rice kheer . Either simmering raw rice in milk and cooking it slowly in milk or the other method is to cook rice and later boil in milk . I prefer cooking raw rice in milk .. though it is bit time consuming .. taste wise its just awesome . Some add condensed milk instead of nut milk for more creamy & taste . You can try which you like . Few replace jaggery with sugar , i will share that version some time .

So are you ready to see rice kheer recipe with step by step photos.. here you go…

Rice Kheer recipe with step by step photos

Initial Preparation : Soaking Rice

• Wash and soak 1/4 cup jeera rice or sona masoori for about 15-20 minutes . Soaking the rice makes it easier to cook .

• After 15 -20 mins, drain the water , rub and crush the rice grains a bit with your palm such that the grains break to more short grains , coarse pieces etc . This helps in giving a beautiful texture to the kheer , by blending rice and milk well.

Preparing Nuts Milk / Paste

• Also blanch 3-4 tbsp ( almonds and cashews ) in hot water for 15-20 mins . De skin badam . Note : If using , condensed milk , skip this step .
• To a blender , add soaked cuts , add 1/4 cup milk and blend very very smooth .

• This nut milk / paste helps in making the kheer more creamy . Keep aside

Dry Fruits for kheer

• Also i have soaked few raisins , cashews and almonds , which i will chop and add to the kheer towards the end.

Time to make Kheer

• Take 1l full cream milk on a heavy bottom pan . Add a bay leaf to the milk . Boil the milk on a medium flame. Stir at intervals so that the milk does not burn at the bottom of the pan. Once milk starts to boiling , reduce it to low flame.

• Add drained raw rice , saffron strands and stir the milk. Simmer and cook the rice on low heat. No need to cover the pan when the rice is cooking. Make sure you, boil the milk stirring in between , scrape the sides of the pan and add the solidifies cream back to the kheer .

• Mash the rice frequently with the back of the ladle while cooking. It may take 15 – 20 mins for the rice to cook well ( around 90 % ) and milk to thicken .

• Once the rice is cooked and milk has reduced to 3/4th of its volume, add sugar , nuts paste , chopped nuts and raisins . Stir well.

• Simmer and cook for 5 minutes . Check for sugar, add more if required.

• Finally , when the sugar has dissolved and milk has thickened and kheer is creamy, add cloves cardamom powder and nut meg powder . Add a pinch of salt . Mix well and switch off . Note that on cooling, Rice Kheer thickens more.

• Rice kheer is ready to relish . Enjoy it hot / warm / chilled .

Points to note while making Rice Kheer :

• Always choose short-grain rice which has high starch content. This gives the dessert a nice creamy texture. I prefer aromatic jeera rice or even sona masoori when compared to Basmati rice . Basmati rice holds its shape and is long grain , so doesn’t give the best texture .
• Use full-fat milk or whole milk to get a creamy and rich consistency.
• To make the kheer more creamy, rich and tasty , use nut paste or condensed milk.
• If you want you can use MTR badam powder for extra taste and flavor . Sprinkle it along with elaichi powder.Or you can add few drops of rose water for a unique flavor .
• NEVER ADD SUGAR BEFORE RICE COOKS. The rice stops cooking as soon as the sugar is added , so add only after rice is cooked .
• Rice kheer thickens once its cooled. So if you are serving the kheer after it cools/ chilled , its better that you keep it little thin initially .
• If your kheer has become too thick afte cooling , you can adjust it by adding extra milk and re heat