A simple, sweet and creamy rice pudding
Firni (feer knee) is a traditional sweet dish served in Indian and Pakistani homes as well as parts of East Africa and Middle East. Its creamy smooth texture makes it a comfort food for many. Growing up, this was a common weekday dinner dessert.
Firni is similar to other dishes like Kheer and Kalamro. Although all three are sweet and made with rice, the textures and tastes are different. Firni is made with rice flour and has a smooth and creamy texture while Kheer is made with whole rice, broken up and has a grainy texture. Kalamro is made with yogurt instead of milk which gives it a nice lightly tart taste.
Firni is THE simplest sweet dish recipe for beginners. It can be made in less than 15 mins and a great make ahead option for an everyday dinner or dinner parties. It stays good in the fridge for up to 4 days. It is a quintessential must have for your comfort food go to’s, sure to impress your family and friends.
Makes 4 – 6 individual servings (depending on size of dish)
Time: 15 mins to prep and cook, 1 hour to chill and set
Level of difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- ½ Can Evaporated Milk
- 2 ½ cups milk (preferably whole milk)
- ½ cup rice flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
- ½ tsp rose essence (optional)
- Garnish: chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios are most commonly used). Due to allergies, nuts can be omitted.
Method:
- In a nonstick pot mix all the ingredients (except nuts) with a whisk to ensure no lumps.
- Once the mixture is smooth then turn on the stove to medium heat.
- Cook on medium heat till it comes to a boil (approx. 10 mins). Stir continuously to ensure no lumps are formed and it does not stick or burn on the bottom. Mixture will thicken as it gets to the boiling point.
- Turn off the heat.
- While hot, immediately pour into the glass serving dish. Once off the heat it will start to set, so work quickly to transfer into serving dish. Use 1 large dish to serve family style or individual bowls.
- Garnish the top with nuts
- Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour to set
- Enjoy!
Tips:
- Add a pinch of saffron to give it a beautiful light-yellow color as well as a fragrant aroma. Although traditional Firni is typically white in color, this is a nice variation to take it up a notch!
- Stays great in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. A great make ahead option for larger gatherings.
- Can substitute with brown sugar, it makes the color of the final dish a little brown.
- Rice flour is available at Indian or Asian stores. Otherwise, you can take dry raw rice, grind it in a spice grinder into a very fine powder. Strain the flour through a sieve before using. Must be the consistency of powdered sugar.