Unique Kheer Recipes: Try These Yummy Variations of This Beloved Dessert

Kheer is a beloved Indian dessert enjoyed throughout the country and there are innumerable easy Indian milk sweet recipes. The most common iteration of it would be a rich rice pudding that’s packed with dried fruits and nuts. You don’t need a special occasion to enjoy kheer, although it is an important part of festivities and celebrations.

The beauty of kheer lies in its adaptability and versatility. There are so many variations of this dessert as you go around the country – like the saffron-infused kheer in North India to the jaggery-based payasam, and the vermicelli kheer that has a special place on the dinner table during the festival of Eid.

Here are three easy indian sweet recipes at home, of this this dessert that you may or may not have heard of, but should definitely try at home.

Tofu Kheer

Ingredients:

• 200 gm tofu
• 3 cups soy milk
• 3 tsp ghee or dairy-free alternative
• 100 gm sugar (increase the quantity depending on your preference)
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 4 tbsp roasted and chopped walnuts
• 4 tbsp roasted and chopped almonds
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 6-8 tbsp water
• Few strands of saffron soaked in water

Instructions:

• Squeeze out all the water from the tofu by keeping it under a heavy weight. Then finely grate it.
• Heat the ghee or the dairy-free alternative in a pan and then sauté the grated tofu until golden brown.
• Then add the sugar and let it melt and mix into the tofu.
• Boil the soy milk and add cardamom powder, and the nuts. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5-6 minutes.
• Add the tofu and mix well. Then add the cornstarch slurry, and let it thicken.
• Finally add the soaked saffron to add some rich aroma.
• Enjoy this tofu kheer warm or cold. You can even add raisins, if you like them.

Poha Kheer or Aval Payasam

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 8-15 cashews (divide into two halves)
• 8-10 raisins
• 45 gm poha
• 480 ml milk
• 100 g grated jaggery
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• 1 ½ tsp rice flour

Instructions:

• Melt the jaggery in a saucepan with around 2-3 tablespoons of ghee on low heat.
• Let it melt evenly without mixing it, just like you would with a sugar-based caramel.
• Once it’s melted, set it aside to cool.
• Next, create a powder by pulsing the cashews in a spice grinder. Then mix the rice flour in this and keep it aside for later.
• Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the raisins and cashews.
• Next, add the poha and toast it till you get a golden color.
• Stir in the rice and cashew powder, and let it toast too for about 2-3 minutes.
• Pour the 480 ml of milk and let the poha soften.
• Keep stirring to ensure that the milk does not burn, then add the cardamom powder.
• The kheer should be thick by now, but you can add a little more milk to prevent it from being too dense.
• Finally, pour the cool jaggery syrup by filtering it through a tea strainer to remove any impurities.
• Remove the pan from heat. Enjoy this payasam cold.

Chhanar Payesh

Ingredients:

• 2 L milk
• 20 ml white vinegar
• 85 gm sugar
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• ¼ tsp rose water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 10-14 pistachios

Instructions:

• Blanch the pistachios in hot water so you can easily remove their peels. Set the peeled pistachios aside.
• In a pan, bring a litre of milk to a boil along with the cardamom powder, sugar and 1-4 teaspoon of salt.
• Cook the milk on medium heat for about half an hour until it’s reduced to half of the original quantity.
• Bring the rest of the milk in another saucepan to a boil, then switch off the heat. Add 20 ml of white vinegar and wait for the milk to curdle.
• Then strain this through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. Ensure that most of the whey is squeezed out of the cheese.
• Then add it to the sweetened milk along with the pistachios and rose water. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, not longer.
• Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.