It is my ongoing effort to catalog all recipes that are cooked in my kitchen – from simplest of dishes to the indulgent ones, from the rustic to the chic, from dishes across cultures to the most traditional of dishes, including some heirloom recipes. Somehow this particular dessert, also called Roah di Kheer, managed to slip from my mind. Few weeks ago my mother-in-law mentioned about this simple and traditional kheer that is made in Bihar and also in Punjab and suddenly my memory cells came into action and I was reminded of how my grandmother used to make this kheer (pudding) especially on Makar Sankranti / Lohri. She used to make it on a wood fired angeethi and served it lovingly straight from the pot.
Sugar canes are abundant in Punjab and Haryana belt in the north. It is common to find desi juice extractor machines selling fresh juice in almost every locality especially in smaller cities. The juice is consumed with much fervour and, besides that, the juice is also turned into this delicious kheer. Soaked rice is cooked in the juices of sugarcane or ganna (its local name) till it softens and the juices thicken to form a luscious delicious kheer that uses just these two ingredients. The kheer can be made aromatic by adding some cardamom powder and a wee bit richness can be added by serving it with nuts but these both are purely optional. A rustic, traditional and gem of a recipe that is a keeper. The kheer is also made in other regions of India but called by different names of course. Lets celebrate the diversity of the Indian food and keep such treasured recipes close to our hearts and share them with the next generations lest they get lost with time 😊
(Warning – It is a picture heavy post coz I was having too much fun shooting for this post)
1 liter Sugarcane Juice (strained through a fine sieve or a muslin cloth to catch any impurities)
100 gm Rice
2 tsp Milk (optional)
½ tsp Cardamom Powder (optional)
2 tbsp finely chopped Dry Fruits of your choice (optional)
Pick, wash and soak the rice in sufficient water for half an hour.
Heat the cane juice in a cooking pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and add milk. {this step is optional so vegans can skip it}
After a few minutes there a scum like layer may appear on the top. Remove that using a spoon/ ladle or a small sieve.
Drain water from the rice and add the rice to the boiling cane juice.
Stir well and cook the rice on low heat, uncovered.
Stir occasionally and cook till the rice is done and the juice becomes syrupy. (The kheer should have a smooth texture)
Switch off heat and stir in the cardamom powder.
Add toasted or fried nuts of your choice and serve warm or chilled. (It tastes best after it sits for a few hours)
Check out the NOTES give after the picture below
Note – I used the Gobind Bhog variety of rice which is a small grain rice that is very aromatic. You can go for tukda basmati chawal i.e. broken basmati rice.
Note – Using milk for cleaning the juice is an optional step. If your cane sugar is clean and hygienic, you won’t need to do this step.
Note – It took approximately 25 to 30 minutes for the kheer to be ready.
Note – You need to keep in mind that the kheer will thicken to some extent on cooling and in case you intend to serve it refrigerated, it further thicken, so adjust the consistency accordingly.
Note – This kheer is somewhat on the sweeter side (especially for a person like me who prefers less amount of sweetness in my desserts and bakes) and you may end up serving even eight people since a little will go a long way. But people who like their desserts rather sweet, will really enjoy this dessert.
Serves – 6
Thanks for your visit and see you soon again with another exciting recipe.
These rice and can treats look so beautiful and I bet they are very yummy as well. Love those terra cotta pots..so cute!
Never had these, but gosh, these look wonderful! Fun dish — thanks.
This rice pudding looks so good, creamy…I love the hint of cardamon…thanks for the recipe Taruna. I hope you are enjoying your week!
Wonderful pictures showing a delicious dish. I love it!
These look super beautiful and I’m sure they also taste amazing. Can’t wait to try them 🙂
Sounds delicious and beautiful presentation!
This is a new one for me. I have some delicious rice puddings but never one with cane juice. A friend gave me a jar of pure cane syrup for the holidays and now I want to open it and give this a try. The addition of cardamon, which I love, sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing!
I saw it on Instagram but then forgot to check your post. I remember my mom used to make this, when we were kids. Thanks for sharing, that brings back so many sweet memories of my childhood.