Oat Kheer

Kheer is a popular Indian dessert that is prepared during festivals such as Diwali or Karva Chauth. Kheer has a puddling like consistency and it is prepared by boiling full fat milk with sugar, rice and is flavoured with cardamom, rose water, raisins, saffron and nuts such as cashew, pistachios and almonds.

Today I am going to prepare kheer by making a few modifications that I find do not take away from the flavour but reduces the amount of saturated fat and sugar that is typically present in this recipe. I also wanted to opt for healthier carbohydrate option than rice.

Why modify the original recipe?

Excessive intake of saturated fats is linked to raising the bad (LDL) cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of heart disease and strong. The typical kheer recipe calls for full fat milk, so I have replaced that with 3.25% milk. The amount of sugar added to this recipe typically varies between 4-6 Tablespoon per 1 L of milk used. I have reduced that to 2 teaspoon as I find that the addition of rose water and cardamom lends a subtle sweetness to the dessert. Lastly, in place of the rice I am using oats.  Oats are a source of complex carbohydrate and protein. It is also particularly rich in soluble fiber that helps with lowering blood cholesterol levels. It is also a slow digesting carbohydrate which means it releases energy and slow and steady rate keeping you feeling fuller for longer and also helps manage your blood sugar levels better.

Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Rolled oats
4 cup 2% milk
2 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
10 strands of saffron
1 tablespoon crushed almond
1 tablespoon crushed cashews
1 tablespoon crushed pistachios
1 tablespoon golden raisin
1 teaspoon rose water

METHOD

1. Add the milk to a heavy-bottom pot and heat it on low-medium heat. Make sure to keep stirring so the milk doesn’t stick at the bottom of your pot. Allow the milk to come to a boil.

2. Take out 1 tablespoon of milk from your pot and transfer it in a small bowl and add your saffron strands to it and keep aside.

3. Once the milk has come to a boil, add your oats to it and stir well. You can now continue to simmer and cook the oats on low heat while stirring for 6-8 minutes.

4. Add the saffron milk, cardamom powder and the crushed nuts and mix well. Continue to cook on low heat till you start noticing the mixture thicken up. This will further thicken up once completely cooled down.

5. Stir in the raisins and rose water and turn off the heat.

6. Pour the oat kheer in serving bowls and serve hot or you can refrigerate it and serve it chilled.