Khajur Kheer / Indian Date Rice Pudding is a variation to the regular traditional rice kheer and is made by cooking rice and milk together with dates and nuts . It is sweetened with dates and sugar and is flavored with cardamon . The iron rich kheer is garnished with chopped nuts and dates and can be enjoyed warm or cold.
You can skip sugar to the recipe and add more dates to make it sugar free. To make the kheer vegan, you can use almond milk or rice milk or coconut milk.
Some people do not prefer adding rice to the khajur kheer and add only nuts and dates to the milk. The quantity of nuts is kept more so that the kheer gets thick consistency.
I have used medjool dates to make the kheer but you can add any dates of your choice. It is good to use juicy and fibrous dates. You can dried figs (anjeer) to the recipe to make khajur anjeer flavored kheer. Soak the anjeer along with dates and then crush them and follow the recipe as shown in the recipe card.
I sometimes add more dates and nuts to the recipe and make a thick kheer. My husband (Mithil) likes this thick mava like texture and enjoys it. I freeze this thick kheer in the airtight plastic box or candy containers and serve like icecream. Or when we want to eat kheer, I take this thick mixture out of freeze, heat it with more milk. Adjust sugar and the kheer is ready. It can be freezed for a month. This freezed thickened cream is very useful whenever you want to something quick and instant.
Friends I hope you like this recipe. Please do make and share you reviews with me.
Khao dilse, khilao dilse aur banao dilse…
Khajur Kheer / Indian Date Rice Pudding
Equipment
- 2 bowl
- mixergrinder
- heavy bottom pan
- spatula
- knife
Ingredients
- 2.5 l full fat milk You can use low fat milk too. Keep some for soaking dates and nuts. The quatity of milk can be taken more to adjust the consistency of kheer.
- 1/2 cup basmati rice or any long grained rice
- 1 tbsp ghee clarified butter
- 1/2 cup sugar I have used raw sugar
- 12 medjool dates or any dates
- 1 tbsp walnut It should be aprroximately 1/2 cups of all nuts . You can use nuts of your choice.
- 1 tbsp pecan
- 1 tbsp almond
- 1 tbsp cashew nut
- 2 tsp cardamom powder
Instructions
- Chop the medjool dates or any dates into a bowl.
- Take all nuts in a bowl.
- Add 1 cup of milk to dates and 1 cup milk to nuts. Let them soak for 30 minutes. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes in water.
- After 30 minutes grind into smooth paste the soaked dates and nuts along with the milk.
- The rice is also nicely soaked after 30 minutes. Drain the rice and keep aside.
- Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
- Add the drained rice to it.
- Saute the rice till aromatic for couple of minutes.
- Add the milk to it. Mix well .
- Keep on stirring on medium heat and bring the milk to boil. Keep stirring to prevent sticking from the bottom of the pan.
- After 7-9 minutes, the milk will start to boil. Let is boil on medium heat stirring in between. (I have shifted the kheer in a big and broad vessel).
- After 3-4 minutes of boiling, the rice will start to float on top of the kheer.
- Take some rice on spatula, press with fingers. It should break on pressing. The rice is cooked then.
- Now add the ground paste of dates and nut.
- Mix well.
- After couple of minutes the mixture will come to boil again.
- Add sugar to it.
- Mix well. Cook for couple of minutes till sugar melts on medium heat.
- Flavor with cardamom powder and mix well. The kheer is ready.
- I have taken the pics of the kheer again in the morning.
- I have taken the picture to show the texture of rice and consistency of the kheer. (if you want more thicker kheer, then boil the kheer more and if you want it thinner than this then add some more milk to the kheer and adjust the consistency). The kheer tends to thicken on cooling.
- The khajur kheer / Indian Date Rice Pudding is ready to serve. Serve it warm or chilled.
- Garnish the kheer with chopped dates , nuts and cardamom powder and serve chill or warm. The kheer can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
nice texture and dates are good natural form of sugar