Phirni | Amritsari Phirni
- 5 tbsp / 75 gm Basmati rice
- 1 litre Full-fat milk
- 3/4 th cup/75 gm Sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- few strands Saffron
- 1 tbsp Almonds , chopped
- 1 tbsp Pista, Chopped
Method:
- Wash the rice and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Be careful not to overwash or we'll lose the starch, which we want to preserve for creaminess of the phirni.
- After 30 minutes of soaking, strain the rice over a colander and leave it to air-dry.
- Soak the Earthenware in water for 30 minutes as well.
- Once dry, transfer rice to a grinder and reduce it to a powder in 4 or 5 short pulses. The grind should neither be too coarse nor too fine.
- Take 1 cup of milk out of the total milk and mix the rice flour in it. Premixing rice flour with cold milk before adding it to hot milk will prevent clumping.
- Gently toast some cardamom pods in a pan and crush them to a powder. We need 1/2 a tsp of cardamom powder; we got ours from 4 large pods of cardamom.
- Heat milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and reduce it on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then add the rice flour and cold milk mixture and stir immediately to prevent rice from clumping.
- Add 4 or 5 strands of saffron OR 1 tsp of kewra water (whichever you are using) to the pan.
- Continue reducing on low heat until phirni thickens. Keep stirring continuously, as that will help release starch and make the phirni creamy.
- Once the rice is cooked, add sugar and a pinch of salt. Don't skip the salt-it balances the sweetness and makes a big difference to the taste of phirni.
- Also add the cardamom powder now.
- Keep cooking until the phirni reaches the right consistency. It should neither be too thick, nor too thin-when poured, it should just about find its own level.
- Transfer to the earthenware bowls or any ceramic or glass bowl to set. Garnish with Chopped almonda and Pistas.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving or overnight for best results. Enjoy chilled.