Indian Rice Pudding

This is my take on kheer, an Indian version of rice pudding spiced with cardamom and flecked with golden raisins and pistachios.

For centuries, rice has been a key dessert ingredient in cuisines of cultures heavily vested in said cereal. Although many of these cultures have a form of rice pudding, I lean toward those that hail from the Indian subcontinent, where rice with moistened with milk and then subtly flavored with everything from raisins to almonds, pistachios, rosewater, saffron, and cardamom.

But first, we need rice. Rice pudding should never, ever be made with converted rice or boil-in-the-bag rice; those rices have been processed to remove some of the free starch because some people want their rice to not be sticky. Puddings, on the other hand, need stickiness. We need to starch, and for that, I look to basmati rice.

This recipe first appeared in Season 8 of Good Eats.

ACTIVE TIME: 10

TOTAL TIME: 1 30

Yield: servings

Software

1 cup cooked long-grain or basmati rice
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup coconut milk
0.25 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped unsalted pistachios

Procedure

In a large saute pan set over medium heat, combine the cooked rice and milk. Heat until the mixture begins to boil. Decrease the heat to low and cook at a simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently, approximately 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium and add the heavy cream, coconut milk, sugar, and cardamom, and continue to cook until the mixture just begins to thicken again, 5 to 10 minutes; stir with a whisk to help prevent the cardamom from clumping. Once the mixture just begins to thicken, remove from heat and stir in the raisins and pistachios. Transfer the mixture to individual serving dishes or a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Serve chilled or at room temperature.