DessertAlmonds
Phirni
Written Serves 4About 1 hour 10 minutes, including soaking, plus chillingUpdated
Phirni is a cool, thick pudding of milk and ground rice, set in small bowls and served cold. Saffron scents it and almonds finish it. It asks for little except slow heat and a spoon that keeps moving.
You will need
- ¼ cup basmati rice
- 1 litre full-fat milk
- ⅓ cup sugar, or to taste
- A pinch of saffron, steeped in 2 tablespoons warm milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- A small handful of almonds, slivered
Method
- Rinse the rice, soak it for thirty minutes, drain, and grind it to a coarse paste with a spoonful of milk. It should feel like fine semolina, not flour.
- Bring the milk to a simmer in a heavy pan.
- Whisk in the ground rice and cook on low heat, stirring often, for twenty to twenty-five minutes, until the pudding coats the back of the spoon.
- Stir in the sugar, cardamom, and the saffron with its milk. Cook for five minutes more.
- Pour into small bowls, cool, then chill for at least two hours. Scatter the almonds on top before serving.
More about cooking with saffron
Made with
Kashmiri AlmondsAlmonds from Kashmir.From₹200
