1/3 cup rice, short or medium grain
10 cup milk
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp almonds, sliced, lightly toasted (opt)
Directions
[Yes, these proportions *are* right, only 1/3 cup
uncooked rice to 10 cups milk.]
Wash the rice and set it aside to drain. In a tall
pot that can hold at least twice the volume of the
milk, bring the milk to a boil; then adjust the heat
so the milk is always rising and frothing, but not
bubbling over. To minimize the cooking time, let the
milk boil vigorously, uncovered, for the first 15
minutes, while you stir it rhythmically with a wooden
spatula to prevent the thick milk on the bottom of the
post from scorching.
Drop the rice into the milk along with the bay leaf.
Continue stirring. Keep over medium-high heat and stir
very carefully for another 20 minutes until the rice
breaks up and rolls with the milk. By now the milk
should be reduced to two thirds of its original
volume. Stir in the sugar, cardamom, and almonds.
Cook for 5 more minutes and remove from the heat.
Sweet rice should be only slightly thick when removed
from the heat, because it will thicken when
refrigerated. Chill well before serving.
For other classic flavours, replace the cardamom with
a teaspoon of rose water and a few pinches of saffron
powder.
From: shedevil@vix.com (Anne P.
Mitchell Esq.)
Servings: 1 batch
Kheer (Sweet Rice) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Indian; Rice; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Recipes as an idea can be tracked back into distant history, in fact as far back as the ancient Egyptians, and possibly even further. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these ancient cook books were just very simple hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to experts in ancient history are a few tablets in the Sumerian language which show the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel exhilarated. Progressing into Roman times 25BC a Roman scholar, called Apicius, assembled some scrolls showing how to cook the recipes cooked by his fellow Romans. In his publication, he describes how the meals were separated into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and dessert, something we still use today. He also tells us how the ancient Romans made use of a wide range of herbs, including some that we all recognise for example bay, fennel and asafoetida. Over the succeeding few centuries, the wealthy families of Europe strove to offer the most exotic banquets, and because of this chefs and their recipe collections could command a high salary. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and writing down recipes of the day. When we get to the 20th century, recipe books were greatly in demand mostly due to higher levels of literacy, more spare time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Kheer (Sweet Rice) recipe.
