Pal Payasam/ Chawal ki Kheer/ Rice Pudding

We all make this dish with little variations during festivals; no matter what religion we follow or which region of India we come from. South Indians call it Pal Payasam; North Indians-Muslims call it kheer; while Christians/Catholics call it rice pudding! Anyways, shows how yummy and popular the dish is.

Ingredients:-
1 cup of rice (I used basmati)
1 ltr of whole milk
2 cardamoms, seeds crushed
6-7 broken cashews fried in ghee to golden brown (1 tsp of ghee is enuf)
3-4 raisens also fried in ghee along with the cashews
4 tbl spns of condensed milk (optional, but recommended)
sugar according to taste
Few strands of saffron/Kesar

Method:- (can be made in stove or microwave)

Soak the rice in water and keep aside.

Reduce the milk to 1/2 or less than 1/2 the original quantity in a microwave or in a stove. Be careful so that the milk doesn't boil and overflow. Stir occasionally.

This step is optional, you may coarsely grind the rice if you dont like the feel of rice while eating the kheer. Grind it for 2 secs and not more. Thats enuf as the rice is soft. Don't make a paste of it. I used the whole rice without grinding.

Add the rice and saffron. Stir continuously till the rice gets cooked. Make sure you stir, otherwise it tends to burn at the bottom of the vessel. If you are scared that it will burn, make the kheer in microwave. But let the microwave dish be much bigger than the milk quantity so that it doesn't over flow. In microwave you need not stir continuously, just stir once in 5-6 minutes.

Go not stirring till you reach the desired consistency. We south-Indians like it a little watery and drink the payasam; while the north indians like to eat it like a pudding, so the kheer is thicker.

Add the condensed milk and cardamoms. cook for a minute.

Ganish with golden brown cashews.

Serve hot or cold.