Guide to making Khyber's Rose Phirni
A rice based pudding, flavoured with rose syrup and cardamom powder
Ingredients:
1 litre full cream milk
0.5 gms saffron
50 gms basmati rice (soaked in water and made into a paste)
50 gms sugar
250 ml rose syrup - you can reduce the quantity, based on level of sweetness you prefer (Store bought is usually very sweet with some preservative elements. To make your own, in a hot pan add 400 gms sugar with 415 ml of rose water, along with a pinch of salt. Simmer till sugar is melted. Takes 5 to 7 minutes. Take off the flame. Add a couple of tablespoons of rose water to maintain liquid nature, to prevent crystallisation. Then add a few drops of magenta food colouring, such as dried dragon fruit, preferably organic. And your syrup is ready. Store in a glass jar, and use to flavour summer drinks and desserts.)
25 gms pistachio sliced
5 gms green cardamom (dry roast the cardamom and grind it to a fine powder)
Dried rose petals (a few to garnish)
1.Heat a pan, add milk into it and keep stirring for about five to ten minutes. Make sure no lumps are formed and the milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. Check the consistency of the rice paste, it should not be too thin or thick. Then, add it to the hot milk and bring it to a boil. Stir continuously so that a thick consistency is formed.
3. Pour rose syrup into the pan and stir well.
4. Add sugar. You can skip the sugar if you want the phirni to be mildly sweet. Also, the rose syrup has sugar and is sweet by itself. Add cardamom powder and give it a stir.
Time to plate: In a bowl, pour phirni, garnish it with dry rose petals, pistachio, almond flakes and serve. You may choose to serve it either warm or cold.
Editor's note: Here's our quick recipe for making rose syrup at home.