Mango Phirni

I wanted to have a dessert in form of a refreshing drink, so I thought of making Phirni- it’s a dessert that can be served as a drink. I used mangoes to give it a twist and add some colour. For all those who love kheer and aam ras then this drink is for you.

Ingredients:

3 cups milk

½ mango pulp (fresh or canned)

4-5 tbsp sugar (adjust according to mangoes’ sweetness)

8-10 cardamom/ilaychi crushed

10-15 Almonds, cashews and pistachios –sliced

½ cup rice

Method:

Soak rice in cup of milk for an hour and then blend in the mixer to make coarse paste

Boil 2 cups of milk on slow flame, when bubbles appear add in the rice mixture and keep stirring.

When the milk starts getting thick add sugar and cardamom.

Keep stirring till thick and rice is cooked.

Take off the flame and add mango pulp and mix.

Decorate with chopped nuts.

Serve cold.

Rice Kheer/ Rice Pudding

Kheer is the most common sweet dish in India. No festival or celebration is complete without Kheer. It is a creamy mixture of rice and milk with nuts to add crunch to the recipe. My twist is adding grated coconut to this rice pudding- it brings right amount of freshness and aroma is the dessert. This is very easy to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 1/4th cup basmati rice (washed and drained) 
• 5 cups milk
• 2-3 cardamom (Ilaychi) crushed
• 2 tbsp almonds (badam) chopped
• A pinch of saffron threads (kesar)
• 1 tbsp skinned pistachio (Pista) chopped
• 1 tbsp raisins (kismis)
• 1 tbsp coconut (grated)
• 2-3 tbsp sugar or as per taste

Method:

1. Put the rice, milk and cardamom in a pan, bring to boil and simmer gently until the rice is soft and the grains are starting to break up.
2. Take 2 spoon of warm milk and add saffron thread in it, till it yellowish colour appears.
3. Add almonds, pistachio, coconut and raisins and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
4. If rice is soft then mix the sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Serve either hot or chilled.