Phirni is a rice pudding made with milk, ground rice and sugar, flavoured with saffron or cardamom and garnished with slivers of almonds, pistachios or cashewnuts. It is different from the its famous cousins ‘Kheer’ and ‘Payasam’ which use whole grains of rice while Phirni uses ground rice powder or paste.

Maya shares her recipe for Phirni which she has set in silver bowls to give it a more festive appearance.

Maya Khanna, a mother of three children, grandmother of six grandchildren and great grandmother of two, is renowned for her skill in cooking. Married to a banker, as a young bride she was groomed by the wives of the British Managers who headed the Grindlays Bank at that time. Entertaining at home was a norm and she quickly learnt from the ‘Khansamas’ or the cooks. With her husband being posted for work in various Indian cities and later in Sri Lanka and Kathmandu, she absorbed the local cuisine and polished her skill of traditional Indian cooking.

Today, she is an encyclopedia on old, traditional recipes from the State of Punjab and Delhi. The family as well as the extended family are in love with her ‘Firni’ or ‘Phirni’ as the Punjabi’s call it. Whether as a dessert at dinner parties or given as a present during the festive season, the family always loves this sweet delicacy. She learnt how to make Phirni from her sister-in-law and she is happy to say now her version tastes even better than the original. This proclamation has not been accepted well by her sister-in-law though, which is no surprise.

Sweets made with milk have a long history in India. Till today milk is an important ingredient in sweet preparations for festivities during auspicious occasions and festivals in North India. Firni or Phirni is specially made during the festival of ‘Holi’ or the ‘Festival of Colours’ held in March.

The people of North India and the Gangetic plain are said to have descended from the Aryan race. The Aryans were cattle herders who eventually settled down along the rivers of North India and took to farming along with herding their cattle. Milk has since then been an important part of the diet of these people. Milk and dairy products like ‘Ghee’, and sweets made from milk are offered to the Gods as ritual offerings.

Phirni is traditionally set in clay bowls called ‘sakoras’. These bowls help in absorbing the excess liquid and in thickening the Phirni.

Nowadays with the help of refrigerators the Phirni thickens due to the cold and various types of bowls and dishes can be used.

For convenience sake Maya uses a tin of condensed milk along with full cream milk. This helps the Phirni to thicken faster and does away with trying to dissolve the sugar. She soaks her rice overnight and grinds it into a fine paste. She also likes to soak the almonds overnight as it makes it easier to peel them. Instead of saffron she uses ground cardamom for flavouring. The garnish of almonds and pistachios are optional as most children are picky about it.

She likes to make Firni during the festivals of Holi and Diwali. The taste of her Firni is renowned and often asked to be given as an edible gift to family and friends during Diwali. After a dinner/lunch party, the left overs are eagerly packed by the guests to take home.

Phirni

Indian Milk Rice Pudding

Ingredients ~

1 lt. full cream milk
1 tin(400gms) condensed milk
7 tbsp rice
1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
almonds/pistachios/edible rose petals for garnish

Preparation ~

Soak the rice in water overnight, wash and use a little fresh water to grind it to a fine paste.

Method ~

1. Mix the full cream milk and the condensed milk thoroughly. Warm the milk but do not let it boil.
2. Add the rice paste and beat it with a whisk so as to ensure no lumps remain.
3. Cook on low heat, stirring it all the time till the milk becomes thick enough to coat the spoon. Add the cardamom powder.
4. Cool completely, stirring it all the time. You can place it in a sink filled with cold water to hasten the cooling.
5. Set it in the dish or bowls you want to serve it in and cool overnight in the fridge or till set.
6. Before serving garnish with slivers of almonds, pistachios and edible rose petals.