A fan of milk and any milk products and looking for recipes using them? We’ve got a milk pudding mithai, kheer to be specific, and three other milk pudding recipes with a slight difference in their preparations and also the ingredients. Take your pick from Mahalabia, Panna Cotta, and Mango Sago Pudding with the goodness of whole milk and coconut milk and a variety of fruits and nuts added to enrich their milky flavors.
1. Mahalabia
Ingredients
For the milk pudding:
- 1 liter whole milk
- 100 gm granulated sugar
- 60 gm cornstarch
- 1 tsp rosewater
- 2 tbsp unsalted shelled pistachios, crushed, for garnish
For the macerated strawberries:
- 450 gm strawberries, stems removed and quartered
- 25 gm sugar
- ½ tsp rosewater
Instructions
- Take a mid-sized saucepan, add the milk, sugar and cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly until the cornstarch and sugar have completely dissolved.
- Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking constantly to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the rosewater.
- Divide the pudding evenly among 4-8 individual serving cups, leaving some space for the macerated strawberries. Allow to cool at room temperature.
- Once cooled, refrigerate the pudding for 2-3 hours or until completely set and firm.
- While the pudding chills, prepare the macerated strawberries. Tak a medium bowl, and mix the quartered strawberries, sugar, and rosewater.
- Let the strawberry mixture stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours to release the juices.
- After 30 minutes, refrigerate the strawberry mixture until ready to serve (up to one day).
- To serve, top each pudding cup with macerated strawberries and sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Enjoy cold!
2. Panna Cotta
Ingredients
For Panna Cotta:
- 240 ml whole milk
- 2 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin
- 480 ml heavy whipping cream
- 125 gm granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 240 ml sour cream
For Berry Coulis:
- 300 gm mixed berries (half each of quartered strawberries and blueberries)
- 50 gm granulated sugar
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Take a saucepan, pour milk, and sprinkle the gelatin and let it stand for 3-5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
- Put the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture is steaming, about 4-5 minutes. Don’t let it boil.
- Add heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to the saucepan. Continue stirring for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is steaming. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Take a medium bowl, and add sour cream. Gradually add the warm cream mixture, whisking constantly while adding until smooth.
- You can strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve for smoothness.
- Quickly divide the mixture among 6 glass cups or 8 ramekins and refrigerate for 46 hours.
- While the panna cotta sets, prepare the sauce. Take a small saucepan and add half of the berries, lemon juice, and sugar.
- Bring it to a slow boil and cook for 4-5 minutes until syrupy.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining berries.
- Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature or until just barely warm and serve with a dollop of the berry sauce over the chilled panna cottas.
3. Mango Sago Pudding
Ingredients
- 40 gm tapioca pearls
- 480 ml canned coconut milk
- 180 ml coconut cream (2 tbsp set aside)
- 150 gm granulated sugar (2 tbsp set aside)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 240 gm mango puree, to serve, optional
Instructions
- Take a small bowl and add tapioca pearls, coconut milk as well as coconut cream (or thick coconut milk). Let it sit for 30 minutes to allow the pearls to absorb some liquid and thicken.
- Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan, add the sugar, and bring to a swimmer on medium heat.
- Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and gently stir for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Divide the pudding mixture evenly among eight small glasses or serving dishes.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.
- Before serving, if using mango puree, blend fresh mango chunks until smooth and top each pudding with a layer of mango puree and serve chilled.
4. Kheer
Ingredients
- 1-liter full cream milk
- 65 gm rice, washed and soaked for 10 minutes
- 150 ml condensed milk
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 10-12 saffron strands
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 30 gm mixed chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios)
Instructions
- Soak the saffron strands in 30 ml of warm milk for 15 minutes. Set aside, drain the soaked rice, and transfer to a heavy-bottomed pan. Then pour the milk.
- Bring the milk and rice mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently. The milk will thicken, the rice will cook and partially dissolve into the milk.
- Gently rub the soaked saffron strands between your fingers to release their color and flavor, then add the saffron and the milk to the kheer.
- Add the condensed milk and cardamom and cook for another 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the raisins and chopped nuts, mixing well to distribute evenly.
- Remove from heat and let it cool slightly before serving.
- You can refrigerate the kheer for a few hours and serve it chilled.