Kheer

Pakistani Rice Pudding

4 to 5 servings

Cook time: 2 hours

Kheer is a quintessential Pakistani dessert: a thick, creamy rice pudding that is fragrant with cardamom and topped with a crunchy sprinkle of nuts. It’s often served in a traditional clay pot called a matka—or when your mom makes it at home, enjoyed straight from the pan!

Ingredients

Pudding

½ cup basmati rice
1½ cups whole milk
6 to 8 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cardamom powder

Garnish

¼ cup almonds
¼ cup pistachios

Substitutions

– The sugar can be replaced or combined with honey or other sweeteners, and increased to taste.

– The milk can be replaced with creamy vegetal milks like oat, soy, or cashew milk.

– The nuts can be replaced or combined with dried fruit. Dried rose petals are also a common garnish.

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and soak it for at least an hour in water.

2. Meanwhile, prepare your garnish. I just slice the almonds and pistachios roughly (you can also boil, rinse, peel, and then slice them).

3. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Rinse and drain the rice and add it to the boiling water. Boil the rice for 15 to 17 minutes, until it is completely soft, then drain it.

4. Cool the rice by straining it under cold water.

Add the rice to a blender along with enough water to keep it flowing (I used ¼ cup for a rod blender), and blend until it’s mostly smooth.

5. Add the rice back to the pan and whisk in the milk, sugar to taste, and cardamom powder. Bring to a boil, then simmer on a low flame, stirring continuously.

6. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the kheer is no longer runny. It should be considerably thickened but not mushy.

Tip: One way to check if the kheer is cooked perfectly is to do a “setting test.” Scoop out a small portion into a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes; it should form a semi-firm surface.

7. Scoop the kheer into bowls, sprinkle on the garnish, and leave it to set for at least a few minutes.

You can enjoy it hot, or refrigerate it and serve it cool.

Dumpling Adjacent
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https://dumplingadjacent.org/kheer

Recipe by Zahra Mansoor

“I must have been in my late teens the first time I helped my mother make kheer. It is traditional in Pakistani households to distribute food to commemorate important Muslim holidays. That day, my mom was making kheer to share with all of our neighbors and extended family, for sixty people at least.

I remember hanging around the kitchen all day, stirring the huge metal pans on the stove and taste-testing for her. And I remember how proud I was that she let me scoop the kheer into the boxes and add the garnish, which is still my favorite part of the process.

But it wasn’t until I moved to Paris for college that I cooked kheer on my own. It was Pakistan Day, March 23rd, and I wanted to celebrate by having friends over. I decided to make kheer, since it’s a big-batch dessert that’s best enjoyed in a communal setting.

But there were transport strikes that day, so the party couldn’t happen. I started making the kheer anyway, feeling low. Then I got a call from my Israeli friend Gaia. She was done with work and she was in my neighborhood—did I want her to come over? I was ecstatic. She lounged on my sofa and told me about her day while I stirred the rice. The kheer turned out just like mom’s: creamy and fragrant, with a gentle sweetness. We ate the first serving together, then she asked for seconds. We laughed at the absurd beauty of a Pakistani and an Israeli celebrating Pakistan Day together over a bowl of kheer.”

ZAHRA MANSOOR is an artist and cultural producer whose work focuses on the exploration of femininity, intimacy, and the intersection of personal and political narratives. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Mansoor moved to Paris at 19 and lives and works between the two cities. She is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design in Paris, a fellow in the Artists & Exhibitions “Filière” at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, and the founder of @briefshalimar, a Paris-based conceptual art salon.