Saffron Phirnee

My mom makes the best kheer in the world.. Everybody at home loves it the most and its my dad's favourite dessert.. And so, mom makes this once a week for sure.. And so, making phirnee for me has been challenging as it had the same ingredients as kheer and also i had the responsibility of making it taste divine as my mom's dish, as i knew this would be compared with the kheer my mom makes.. And so, there were definitely a few trial and errors before i could finally get the perfect texture and taste of phirnee right.. First time i made, it was not as thick as phirnee should have been.. Second time i made, while adding ground rice to milk, lumps were formed and so it was a complete failure.. Again, after looking at few of the recipes online and also asking one of my aunts who made it frequently, i could succeed in making a perfect phirnee finally... Everybody at home loved it once i mastered making phirnee.. But still, even today, my mom's kheer is preferred over my phirnee, which even im fond of.. After all, mother's love which reflects in all that she cooks for us, can never be compared.. And so, i would definitely post my mom's kheer recipe also sometime in future.. As of now, presenting recipe of phirnee for you all to relish..

Ingredients:

1ltr milk

1/4 cup basmati rice

1/4 cup + 2tbsp sugar

8-10 strands saffron

Method: Wash basmati rice and soak in milk (take milk from the total 1ltr milk only) for an hour.. Add only so much milk as to cover the rice while soaking.. Then grind it into a coarse paste along with the milk.. It will be a bit runny paste with rice granules.. Next take another 3-4tbsp milk from the remaining milk and soak saffron in it and keep aside.. Now boil the remaining milk.. Once it has boiled add the rice paste and keep stirring continuously to avoid formation of lumps.. Cook this on medium flame for 10mins, stirring frequently.. Add in sugar and saffron milk and again cook another 10-12mins stirring frequently till it gets thick and coats the ladle.. Remove from gas and let it cool at room temperature.. A skin will be formed over phirnee.. Its ok.. You can mix it in the phirnee itself.. Fill it in individual bowls and chill for atleast 3-4hrs... Garnish with more saffron and serve...

Note: Can add almonds and pista also while adding rice paste in the phirnee.. It will give an added flavour and extra crunch.. I like my phirnee to be plain..

                                          Soak basmati rice in enough milk to cover the rice

                                           Grind it to a coarse paste

                                          Soak saffron in 1/4 cup milk and keep aside

                                          Boil milk and add the rice paste

                                          Add sugar and saffron milk and cook

                                          Phirnee ready to serve