Description
A delicious and creamy Indian dessert made with sabudana (tapioca pearls) and flavored with cardamom and saffron.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup medium size sabudana (sago, tapioca pearls)
- ½ cup water (for soaking)
- 34 ounces whole milk (full-fat milk) (1 liter)
- 15–20 strands saffron (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (elaichi powder)
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar (or to taste)
Instructions
- Rinse sabudana with water. Note – Unlike the sabudana khichdi recipe where you have to rinse sabudana many times to get rid of the excess starch, sabudana kheer recipe requires you to wash it just once. We want the starch to make the kheer creamy and luscious.
- Soak it in ½ cup water for 4-5 hours. Tip – If you have forgotten to soak the sabudana beforehand, then soak it in boiling hot water for 30 minutes. It will be ready to use.
- Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
- When the milk comes to a boil, stir in the soaked sabudana along with saffron strands. Note – Never add the sabudana to the pan before the milk comes to a rolling boil. Doing so might curdle the milk.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook the kheer until it gets thick and the sabudana is cooked well (Approx 40-60 minutes). The consistency of the kheer should be flowy like custard. Keep stirring very frequently while cooking.
- Post cooking, sabudana pearls must be soft, slightly sticky, and translucent. There shouldn’t be any bite in them. Note – Keep in mind that the kheer will thicken considerably as it cools down.
- Stir in sugar and cardamom powder and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Check for sugar and add more if you like it sweeter.
- Garnish with slivered almonds & pistachios and dried rose petals and serve hot or chilled.
Notes
- Rinsing only once helps retain the starch needed for creaminess.
- Consistent stirring prevents milk from scorching during cooking.
- The kheer will thicken more as it cools, so serve accordingly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl