Phirni - Creamy rice pudding

I prefer making phirni to kheer... I feel its lighter compared to kheer and easy to make and tastes great!

INGREDIENTS:

• Milk - 1 liter
• Basmati Rice - 3 tbsps
• Roasted nuts (any of the 4 or combination of pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cashew) - handful - chopped (blend them very coarsely)
• Raisins - few (optional)
• Saffron - few strands (optional)
• White or Raw Sugar - 1 cup - increase or decrease as per you liking. (I use less sugar)
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
• Clarified butter (ghee) - 1 tsp (optional)

METHOD

• Soak the rice in water for atleast 40 mins after which make a paste with little water and keep aside
• Take half of the cup of the milk and put the saffron in and keep aside
• Boil milk rest of the milk after its heated up add the rice paste
• Keep stiring frequently. The milk thickens as the rice gets cooked. 
• Add the sugar, the nuts, saffron infused milk along with the strands, cardamom pwd and stir to dissolve the sugar
• Fry the raisins in the clarified butter till they puff up.. add to the milk mixture
• Garnish with some chopped nuts and a few saffron strands
• Best served cold

VARIATIONS

• You can use jaggery (unrefined brown sugar) instead of white or raw sugar
• In case the cashews are old roast them along with the raisins to add more flavour