Kheer
Kheer (kheeri, payesh, payasam or phirni) is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur wheat, millet, tapioca, vermicelli, or sweet corn. It is typically flavoured with desiccated coconut, cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios, almonds, or other dry fruits and nuts, and recently pseudograins are also gaining popularity. It is typically served as a dessert.[1][2]
 A bowl of kheer | |
| Alternative names | Payasam, Payesh and Ksheeram |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indian subcontinent |
| Main ingredients | Rice, milk, sugar, cardamom, jaggery, saffron, pistachios or almonds |
| Variations | Barley kheer, Kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk), payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer) |
| 249 kcal kcal | |
Etymology
The word kheer is derived from the Sanskrit word for milk, ksheer (क्षीर). Ksheer is also the archaic name for sweet rice pudding.
Origin
Kheer was a part of the ancient Indian diet.[1]
According to the food historian K. T. Achaya, kheer or payas, as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish in ancient India. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar, a formula that has endured for over two thousand years. Payas was also a staple Hindu temple food, in particular, and it is served as Prasāda to devotees in temples.[2]
See also
References
- "Kheer: The Quintessential Indian Milk Affair". Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- "A truly international dessert". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2009.
