Sweet

Kheer with Orange Twist

Name: Kheer with Orange Twist
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2000 ml full-fat milk; 70 g basmati rice; 500 ml fresh orange juice; 10 tbsp sugar; 6 green cardamom pods, seeds ground; 25 almonds, blanched and sliced; 20 cashews, halved; 2 tbsp golden raisins; a pinch of saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk

Classic kheer cooked low and slow until the milk thickens into something between a pudding and a custard — fragrant with cardamom and saffron, studded with almonds and cashews, and finished with a single-thread orange sugar syrup that adds a brightness no one expects. This is the version that surprises guests.

1 hrServes 4 mild

Method

Wash and soak the rice in water for 20–30 minutes , then drain.
In a separate small pan, bring the orange juice and 3 tbsp of the sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and cook until a single thread forms between two fingers when you dip and pull apart — this is your orange syrup. Remove from heat and set aside.
Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the drained rice and reduce the heat to low.
Simmer, stirring frequently, for 40–45 minutes until the rice is completely cooked through and the milk has thickened considerably. Stir often and scrape the base — milk scorches the moment it's left alone.
Add the remaining sugar, sliced almonds, cashews and ground cardamom. Stir and continue to cook for 5 more minutes .
Switch off the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes, then gently stir in the saffron milk, raisins and the prepared orange syrup. Add the orange syrup only off the heat — citrus stirred into hot milk can curdle it. Once combined, serve rather than re-boiling.
Serve warm or chilled.

Cook's note. The orange syrup is a one-thread syrup — pull a drop between finger and thumb and it should form a single strand. Stop too early and the citrus flavour will be thin; cook too long and it sets like a toffee.

The story

Kheer is one of the oldest documented Indian desserts, with references in ancient Sanskrit texts and temple inscriptions from the 4th century. The word comes from the Sanskrit 'ksheer', meaning milk, and the basic formula — rice, milk, sugar — has remained unchanged for over a thousand years. Variations from region to region swap in vermicelli, tapioca or broken wheat for the rice.