Phirni or Firni
Ingredients
- 1.5 litre Milk
- ½ Cup Rice or Rice Flour
- ½ Cup Milk Powder
- 1 tbsp. Custard Powder optional
- 200 Gram Sugar
- ½ tsp Cardamom Powder
- dry Fruits chopped
Instructions
- Clean, wash, and soak rice in water for 30 minutes.
- Drain water, and spread soaked rice on a metal strainer or dry kitchen towel.
- Grind rice in the blender. You don’t need to grind into fine powder. Keep aside.
- Boil milk in a heavy-bottom saucepan or kadai. Keep 100 ml or half a cup for adding into rice powder.
- keep stirring the milk often so that it should not burn.
- Meanwhile put the rice into a grinder jar and make a slightly coarse powder. If needed add some water here.
- Now add this rice to 100 ml or half a cup milk and stir well till there is no lump is left. Add milk powder and custard powder. (These too help in thickening the phirni and also adds to the flavor it.)
- Pour the rice to boiling milk and mix well stirring continuously while on medium heat.
- Continue cooking till the Phirni starts thickening.
- At this stage add saffron. (you may add some milk in the saffron before hand).
- Add sugar and continue to cook stirring often.
- As the Phirni thicken, add cardamom powder. Add nuts of your choice.
- Check the consistency of the Phirni by dipping the spoon or ladle and check the back of it. It should stick to the back of ladle or spoon. If is so, then turn off the gas.
- Let it cool down. Pour it into cups or earthen pots or any bowl.
- Garnish with dry nuts, saffron and pistachio. Keep it into refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
- Phirni tastes good chilled.
Nutrition
Phirni or Firni ( Indian rice pudding) is a traditional dessert made from rice flour, milk and sugar. Firni is very popular dessert in India often served on dinners, weddings or special occasions. Traditionally its set in small earthen pots which gives it a very earthy flavor. Phirni or Firni is different form of Kheer which is also a rice pudding but made from cooked ground rice that are slow cooked in milk.
Milk – it has to be full fat milk. No light or reduced fat milk at all. They don’t give the creamy texture and you will be cooking it so long but your firni will not thicken up.
Ground Rice – use any store bought rice flour. You can grind it in mixer.
Sugar – raw or white sugar can be used.
Almonds and Pistachios are used to garnish. Use slivered almonds or you can soak the almonds in hot water to remove the skin and cut them thinly. You can add kismish to it. I usually do it. You can cut it and add it or use as it is.
Ground Xardamom is added to milk and it gets infused as milk boils
Silver edible leaf is traditional but completely optional. These days it is hard to get this or it is not vegetarian so avoid using it.
