Milk-based easy indian sweet recipes To Indulge In: Kheer, Rasmalai, and More

The production and consumption of milk is vital from a nutritional point of view, because it’s packed with calcium and other nutrients necessary for healthy bones and overall growth. It also fuels the economy by supporting livelihoods at a local and global level because besides being a drink, it's also an essential ingredient in making butter, ghee, cream, yogurt, and a lot of desserts.

Did you know World Milk Day was introduced in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize how important milk is as a global food source? Every year since then, it’s commemorated on June 1.

No Indian dessert is devoid of cream, ghee, and milk, so celebrate this nutritive drink that is also the backbone of many industries, with some delicious and mouthwatering Indian sweets recipes that you can make at home.

Kheer

Ingredients:

• 960 ml milk
• 60 ml water
• 120 gm basmati rice
• 4 tbsp of sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• 10 cashews, roughly chopped
• 10 almonds, roughly chopped

Instructions:

• Wash and drain the rice multiple times under running water. Stop when the water is clear.
• Pour water and milk into a deep-bottomed pan and bring it to a boil, then add the rice.
• Keep cooking the milk and rice mix until the rice is mushy. Stir the mixture occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Now add the sugar and mix well. You can also add a pinch of saffron at this stage.
• The kheer will be thick at this point.
• Take it off heat and add cardamom powder and the chopped nuts. You can also flavor it with some rose water.
• Let the kheer cool down in the fridge, then serve chilled.

Rasmalai

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ltr milk
• 12 pieces readymade rasgullas (tinned or from a store)
• 10 pistachios, roughly chopped
• 10 almonds, roughly chopped
• Pinch of saffron

Instructions:

• Add the milk to a heavy bottomed pan and let it come to a boil.
• Then lower the heat and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. Keep mixing occasionally to prevent it from scorching the bottom.
• Now add chopped pistachios, almonds, and saffron to this.
• Mix well and let it continue simmering on low heat until the milk thickens and reduces to half its quantity
• Squeeze out most of the syrup from the store bought rasgullas and place them in a serving bowl.
• Pour the thickened milk onto the rasgullas, and refrigerate the serving dish for 3 to 5 hours.

Rabdi

Ingredients:

• 1.25 ltr milk
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp rose water
• 2 tbsp blanched and sliced almonds
• 2 tbsp blanched and sliced pistachios

Instructions:

• Bring the milk to a boil until you see a layer of clogged cream appear on the top.
• Remove this layer of cream to the side of the vessel, and reduce the flame to low.
• Keep the milk simmering, and remove the clotted cream to the side each time it appears on top and the milk also reduces to half.
• Now add the sugar and cardamom powder.
• Keep stirring occasionally because there will be more clotted cream that will form which you should move to the side of the pan.
• When the milk reaches ¼ of its original quantity, take the pan off heat.
• Scrape off the clotted cream layers that you’ve moved to the side of the pan and mix them back into the thickened milk.
• Add the saffron strands too along with the nuts and rose water. Serve it warm or cold.
• You can also have it with some warm store bought gulab jamuns and jalebi.