Rice slow-cooked in full-fat milk sweetened with khajur gur (date palm jaggery) — the seasonal winter milk pudding of Jharkhand with a deeply caramelised character.
Ingredients
1/4 cup short-grain rice
1 litre full-fat milk
3/4 cup khajur gur (date palm jaggery — dark and intensely flavoured; available in winter at Bengali and Jharkhand stores; substitute with regular jaggery)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp cashews — fried in 1 tsp ghee
Method
Wash the rice.
Bring 1 litre full-fat milk to a boil in a heavy pot.
Add washed rice. Stir. Reduce to medium-low.
Cook uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes until the rice has dissolved and the milk is thick and creamy.
Remove from heat. Cool slightly — the khajur gur must be added off direct heat or the milk may curdle from the acidity.
Add khajur gur. Stir until completely dissolved.
The kheer turns a deep brown and smells of caramel and molasses.
Add cardamom powder. Stir. Garnish with fried cashews.