Tandalachi Kheer | How to make Maharashtrian Rice Kheer

Tandalachi Kheer - A to Z Maharashtrian Sweets

We are on T and I opted to make a traditional Rice Kheer for the day. Kheer or Payasam as it is called in the south is a sweet dish prepared with either milk or coconut milk. Sweeteners can be sugar, jaggery, palm sugar etc. Depending on the main ingredient, your sweetener will change. Most common is the one made with Semiya or Vermicelli prepared with Milk and sugar.

The other varieties would be with lentils along with coconut milk or milk as well. Many versions also have jaggery added. Ok now that I got all the intros off, let me continue with the dish chosen to be cooked today.

I wanted to avoid making Kheer during this marathon and pushed it as much as I could. Kheers are not so popular at home. Hubby dear being the only person who eats sweets likes only lentil based ones like the Sanaga Pappu Payasam. With this being the case, you may wonder how I ended up with 21 versions on C4AS and 12 on this space of payasam. Well, it happens if you are blogging. So no questions on that, please!

Anyway coming to my list I had an option of making Talniche Modak, Til Ladoo, Til Gul. However when I saw this Tandalachi kheer, I knew I had to pick up this just for the name. Moreover, all the rest I have already blogged if I go by the recipe of each.

The recipe I adapted was from here. Rice is called ‘tandul’ in Marathi. ‘Tandalachi kheer’ is nothing but the Maharashtrian version of rice pudding. As I said excepting 5 dishes, everything else was cooked during March. I procrastinated the rest either because some were simple or complicated to think. I still have 2 left out and I am yet to make myself cook them. Out of the simple ones, was this Kheer. I know we also make something similar at home, though the ground masala used in this is different.

I made it last Sunday and planned for two kheers. Yes, you read it right, there is another kheer coming up. Both were easy ones and when Hubby dear came in to check on me, he was asking why I was making 2 kheers. I said I have pending BM posts and need to cook at least two of them. He said he will have one for his lunch dessert and another for dinner. Though he is not fond of Kheers, he was willing to certify if this is blog worthy.

When I was tasting this, I was reminded of the kheer that Amma used to make with broken wheat. It was after my twins were born and that kheer was supposed to be good during that period. I can still remember that taste and wondered why this rice kheer tasted like that broken wheat, maybe because of the coarse rice used. Anyway, this is surely a delicious way to enjoy!

This recipe makes 8-9 medium sized bowls of kheer.

Tandalachi kheer

Ingredients Needed:

Rice – 1/2 cup
Sugar – 3/4 cup (you may reduce if you don’t like very sweet)
Milk – 3 cups
Ghee – 1
Cardamom powder a pinch
Pinch of salt

Masala ingredients to be ground

Dry coconut chopped – 1 tbsp
Almonds – 6
Cashew nuts – 8-9
Dry dates – 5

How to make Maharashtrian Rice kheer:

Heat a nonstick pan and dry roast rice on medium heat until it gets slight brown color. Grind roasted rice coarsely.

Remove the seeds from dry dates and cut coconut into pieces.

Then grind cashew nuts, dates, almonds and coconut together to a fine powder. Keep it aside.

Boil 2 and 1/4 cups of water in a heavy bottomed vessel. Once the water comes to a boil, add ground rice and cook until rice is cooked completely. Then add sugar.

Blend well and then add the ground dry fruits powder and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Next, add the ghee. Then add the milk and let it boil. Keep stirring in between.

Finally, add cardamom powder and mix well.

Allow kheer to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes until it thickens nicely.

Due to the addition of dry fruits powder, kheer becomes thick.

Garnish with sliced almonds and serve warm.

Notes:

If you prefer thinner kheer, add more milk to it. The kheer settles to become thicker on cooling.

from Spice your Life