Recreation Of The Delicious Phirni !

Dessert is my favorite part of the meal ! My mom makes the best desserts but there’s some magic when she cooks a pot of the sweet pudding hailing from North of India – The delicious phirni ! Every time phirni is cooked at my home it hardly lasts in the fridge for it is emptied within a day ! Trust me phirni made by mom is so delicious one can not be satisfied with just one bowl of phirni! Though it’s a sweet pudding my mom would make sure the amount of sugar used to make the dessert does not harm our health and at the same time does not lose the taste of sugary heaven .
Since many years my mom has substituted honey instead of sugar in desserts . Recently my dad complained how long it had been since he had eaten phirni and that’s when I decided to whip up the delicious phirni but with a twist. Substituting Sugar free natura instead of Sugar ! It was the most delicious phirni ever for the phirni pot was empty within 24 hours (At my place a dessert is judged on how fast it is consumed by family :P)

My sister like phirni with fruits , muskmelon being her favorite. the addition of delicate musk melon slices makes it more yummier! My brother likes the Gulab Jamun And Phirni version of the dessert and hence the phirni is recreated many number of times at my place!


Sharing with you the simple yet yummy recipe to recreate this dessert ! 
INGREDIENTS

1. 1/2 cup grounded rice
2. 1/4 cup Khowa/ Thickened milk or Concentrated whole milk
3. 2 litre organic milk
4. Sugar Free Natura as required
5. 15-16 almonds blanched,( save a few among them for garnishing)
6. Cardamoms crushed or cardamom powder
7. 14-16 strands of saffron

METHOD

1. Rinse the rice 3 times in water. Each time taking fresh water to rinse so the starch from the rice is washed away. Let the rice soak for 4-5 hours.
2. After the soaking time has passed drain away all the water and let the rice dry on their own .
3. Now the rice is a lil soft and breaks when pressed on palms. My mom breaks the rice by rubbing them between her palms or a kitchen towel. This way the phirni turns out to be more tastier.
4. Keep the dry and palm pressed rice aside.
5. Heat the organic milk in a thick bottomed kadhai
6. When the milk turns warm , remove a tbsp of milk and add saffron strands to it. (The saffron helps in giving the phirni a savory color)
7. When the milk reaches boiling point add the khowa and add the rice to it. Stir and add Sugar Free natura as per the sweetness you desire.
8. Let the milk and rice cook for a few minutes on a low flame and keep stirring the koya+ rice+ milk+sugar free natura mixture at intervals so as to lumps aren’t formed.
9. Soak the almonds and gently peel of their skin. Save a few for garnishing
10. Once you notice that the rice is almost cooked, add the peeled and blanched almonds, cardamom powder and saffron dissolved milk into it.
11. By now the phirni should’ve thickened but you can further cook it for 5-6 minutes to thicken it even more.
12. Those who prefer other toppings like musk melon slices or fruits or dry fruits or rose water , its important to wash and keep the toppings ready.
13. Once the phirni has cooled down , let it refrigerate for a couple of hours before eating as phirni tastes best when eaten chilled. (Do not freeze)
14. Once the phirni is cool, serve them in bowls or glasses , garnish it with chopped almonds/rose water/ musk melon slices or even gulab jamun in my brother’s case!

NOTES

• I like it when the phirni is a little thicker and the consistency is not thin. hence the addition of khoya.
• The toppings can consist of any fruit. My mom prefers musk melon or pomegranate.
• It is easier to peel of the almonds when you let them soak for a hour or two. I prefer almonds which aren’t peeled.
• The addition of Sugar free natura instead of sugar does not change or alter the taste of sweet pudding you our looking forward to cook.

I hope you liked my phirni ki recreation wali recipe Do let me know if you try this recipe at your home!
Until next time
Love
Najm