Phirni
Veg
Ground rice pudding in earthen saucers — coarse-ground raw rice (not flour) cooked in full-fat milk with sugar and cardamom, stirred constantly until the ground rice thickens the milk into a creamy, granular custard. Set in shallow unglazed earthen saucers (shikoras) and chilled for several hours until lightly set. Garnished with saffron, rose water, and crushed pistachios. The earthen saucers impart a faint mineral scent that is essential to phirni's character. A Dogri, Punjabi, and Kashmiri festival dessert eaten at Eid, Lohri, and weddings.
Cuisines
Rajasthani
Awadhi
Himachali
Dogri
Mughlai
Punjabi
Delhi
Best for
Dinner
Snacks
Recipe
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 60 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 1/4 cup | basmati rice |
| 1 liter | full cream milk |
| 1/2 cup | sugar |
| 1/4 teaspoon | cardamom powder |
| 10-12 | saffron strands |
| 2 tablespoons | chopped almonds |
| 2 tablespoons | chopped pistachios |
| 1 tablespoon | rose water |
| 1 pinch | salt |
Instructions
- 1 Wash and soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes.
- 2 Drain the rice and grind it coarsely to a paste using a little water.
- 3 Boil the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan.
- 4 Add the rice paste to the boiling milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
- 5 Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture until the rice is completely cooked and the milk thickens, stirring occasionally.
- 6 Add sugar, cardamom powder, saffron strands, and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
- 7 Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture thickens further.
- 8 Remove from heat and stir in the rose water.
- 9 Pour the phirni into serving bowls and garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios.
- 10 Allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Tips
For a richer taste, you can add a tablespoon of condensed milk while cooking.