Creamy Kheer with Dudhi - Simple and Delicious

Creamy Kheer with Dudhi - Simple and Delicious

Peel and shred the Dudhi; lightly roast Rice Rava in ghee till golden; mix the Dudhi with rava - transfer to a pressure cooker insert-pot; add a little milk, sprinkle with sugar and pressure cook briefly. After pressure releases, add hot milk, wait a few minutes and gently stir/fluff with a fork. Cool the creamy mixture until lukewarm, then add cardamom, saffron and/or nutmeg, chopped nuts, etc. Serve warm or chilled. Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Resting time 15

Total Time 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Servings people

Calories 128 kcal

Equipment

Pressure cooker with inserst containers and rack preferred; if not available, you can use a steamer -see Recipe Notes for details
Microwave oven: for roasting rice Rava very fast; if not available, this can be done on the stove-top, in a small, shallow frying pan- it will take a bit linger thn the microwave.
Mortar and pestle- for crushing cardamom seeds; if not available, wrap seeds in a paper packet (like an envelope), then roll firmly with a heavy rolling pin.
Fine shredder/grater: for grating /shredding nutmeg (if using)

Ingredients

1 cup Dudhi- shredded medium shred; also called Ghiya, Lauki, bottle gourd, Opo squash, Calabash, etc.; do not use center spongy part; (chop and save for another use - see Recipe Notes for suggestions)
1 1/2 tbsp Rice Rava coarsely ground rice; Cream of Rice, Idli Rava, work very well. If not available, make some Rava in a grinder. see Recipe Notes for details.
1 tsp Ghee clarified butter
1 cup milk: divided 1/4 cup + 3/4 cup whole milk preferred; for vegan Kheer- see Recipe Notes
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fresh cream- optional if you want the Kheer to be more rich-tasting,

Flavorings and Toppings

3-4 pods small green cardamom - optional - highly recommended Peel and crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle just before using; if pods are not available, use peeled seeds instead- 1/8 tsp- crush; I do not recommend using pre-powdered cardamom - it typically does not have much flavor - freshly crushed is best.
1 pinch saffron - optional 6-8 fine threads should be enough
1/8 tsp nutmeg - freshly grated - optional freshly grated from whole nut preferred; pre-ground nutmeg is not as flavorful
3-4 pieces almonds - optional
1 tbsp cashew halves/pieces - optional
2 tsp walnuts - chopped - optional about 2 walnut halves
2 tsp melon seeds (cantaloupe seeds) - optional

Instructions

Add ghee to the rice Rava in a glass/ceramic microwave safe bowl; microwave on hi for 30 seconds; stir and microwave again for 20 seconds; it should be golden brown in the middle; stir it quickly to distribute heat; if you wish, heat for another 10-15 seconds- no longer - it will get burned black !
Peel and shred the Dudhi: long shreds look pretty in the Kheer; do not shred the spongy middle part.
You can do this with a manual shredder or in the food processor. Save the spongy part to use in another recipe- see Recipe Notes for ideas.
Transfer the shredded Dudhi to a pressure cooker insert container. Add the roasted Rava and mix gently.
Pour 1/4 cup milk (cold is OK) and sprinkle the sugar on top. Do not mix.
Place the container on a rack in the pressure cooker and cook for 4 min at full pressure. Allow pressure to release normally.
The cooked dudhi looks translucent and the rice Rava is mostly settled on the bottom
While the Dudhi mixture cooks, prepare the desired flavorings as described below:
Cardamom: Peel the pods, collect the seeds.and grind to a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle. Set aside a a pinch for garnish, and stir the rest into the cooled Kheer. (check Recipe Notes for details)
Saffron:: Crumble the saffron threads between your thumb and index finger (make sure you fingers are dry!) and add to 1-2 tsp of warm milk in a small bowl. Set aside for a few min and add, along with the milk, to the cooled Kheer. (check Recipe Notes for details)
Nutmeg: grate a little bit of the whole nut with fine shredder. Save the leftover nut in a dark glass jar, away from direct sunlight. Set aside a a pinch for garnish, and stir the rest into the cooled Kheer. (check Recipe Notes for details)
While the Kheer cools, prepare the nut-toppings of your choice:
Almonds: slice thinly, like shavings; you can leave the peel on or blanch and peel the almonds before slicing;. If you like,, dry-roast them lightly, then add to the cooled Kheer.
Cashews: if cashews are small, split in half, lengthwise, to retain cashew shape;; if cashews are large,, break into smaller pieces. If you like, roast them lightly in a little butter or ghee (just a few drops of ghee is enough), then add to the cooled Kheer.
Walnuts: coarsely chop the walnuts and add to the cooled Kheer.
Melon seeds: lightly roast them in a few drops of Ghee and add to the cooled Kheer.
When pressure is released, remove the container from the cooker.
Heat 3/4 cup of milk in a microwave-safe cup - about 45 seconds, till almost boiling. Add the hot milk to the cooked Dudhi mixture. Do NOT stir. Set aside for about 5-6 min to cool.
Use a fork to loosen and gently mix everything together. It immediately starts to look creamy and Kheer-like. Taste-test if you wish to adjust the sweetness. If you want it to be a bit more rich-tasting, you can stir in up to 1 tbsp fresh cream.
The picture shows the texture and structure of the shredded Dudhi in the prepared Kheer.
Set aside to cool a little longer, then add the toppings you have prepared.
The picture shown here only has cardamom and almonds. I would recommend adding only one or two kinds of nuts, but you can add them all if you like.
Serve warm or at room temperature with any Indian meal. It is especially good with hot Puris: Kheer-Puri is a very popular combination.
To serve chilled, it needs to be cooled in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours. Overnight works very well too. It will thicken a bit more as it cools in the refrigerator.
Or, serve it as a stand-alone, after-dinner dessert.
Enjoy!

Notes

To make Rice Rava:

Grind dry rice to a coarse powder in an electric grinder.
Sieve through a medium mesh to collect larger pieces on top; grind these again.
If you're concerned about using rice without washing it first:
- wash the rice in a strainer
- spread on a towel and allow to air dry for 5-10 min
- grind it to a coarse powder
- roast with ghee till golden

What to do with soft spongy center part of Dudhi:

Shred only the firm outer flesh of the Dudhi for the Kheer
What to do with the soft spongy center? Don't throw it away! Here are some ideas for using it
- Remove any large tough seeds,that may be present.
- chop finely and add to soup, Dal, Sambar, etc.
- cut it chunky, pressure cook it and blend it. to make a thick puree Add this puree to soups, sauces, curries, etc.

To make Vegan Kheer:

Use 1/2 tsp coconut oil for roasting rice Rava
Use water, instead of milk, while pressure cooking: do not use dairy free milk.
After pressure-cooking, add heated dairy-free milk (almond milk is excellent; can also use a 1:1 mixture of coconut milk and soy-milk) before fluffing and gently stirring the cooked mixture.
If you can have nuts, also stir in about 2 tsp almond flour for added creaminess (or ground-up blanched almonds).
- If you want it to be nut-free, you can use ground-up raw pumpkin seeds instead.

To steam-cook the Dudhi mixture on the stove-top:

Place the Dudhi-Rava-milk-sugar mixture in a stainless steel plate/bowl on the perforated steamer rack in a steamer.
Steam for 12-15 min. Keep covered for 5 min before removing from steamer.
Proceed further as described in the recipe.

Prepping the Kheer flavorings:

Cardamom:
- Place the mortar on a folded towel on the counter.
- Place the seeds in it and gently, but firmly crush the seeds with the pestle until coarsely powdered.
- Note: The seeds are quite hard and tend to fly out of the mortar, so it is a good idea to cup one hand closely around the mortar to catch any flyiing seeds.
Saffron:
- Set aside the saffron- milk mixture for 5-10 min. to allow color and flavor to release into the milk,
- the milk becomes fragrant and develops a rich golden yellow color. Add this to the cooled Kheer.
- Transfer 1-2 tsp of the Kheer to the bowl in which you soaked the saffron, to collect up all traces of this precious spice add it back to the rest of the Kheer.
- Note: If you don't want the Kheer to be yellow, do not use saffron!
Nutmeg:
- Only grate as much as you need. Freshly grated nutmeg is very potent- you only need a tiny little bit, or it can become unpleasantly overpowering.
- Save the leftover piece of nutmeg in a brown glass jar with a well fitting lid.
  - Store in a cool area, away from direct sunlight.

Storing Leftovers:

Refrigerate and consume within 2 days.
If you wish to freeze it, store in a shallow container with a well-fitting lid; should be good for up to 3-4 weeks, possibly longer.
- To thaw, remove from the freezer and set aside on the counter for about 30 min, then heat to almost boiling on low heat, cool and serve. you can do this on the stove-top in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, or in the microwave, in a glass or ceramic bowl, on 30-40% power until heated through.
- Add a bit of freshly ground cardamom - some of the flavor is inevitably lost during freezing and reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 28mgPotassium: 184mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 99IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Bottle Gourd, Calabash, cardamom, crushed roasted Peanuts, Dudhi, Ghee, Ghiya, Kheer, Lauki, melon seeds, nutmeg, Nuts, Opo, Pumpkin seeds, saffron

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