This phool makhana phirni is a low-carb twist to the classic phirni. Creamy to the core that too without rice.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
- About Foxnut (Makhana)
- Making Makhana Phirni
- Watch Makhana Phirni Video
- The Phirni Parfait
- How To Assemble Phirni Parfait
- FAQs Related To Makhana Phirni
- Kesar Makhana Phirni Recipe
About Foxnut (Makhana)
Foxnut, or the Phool Makhana, is the lotus seed. They are edible after processing and very high in nutrition. The foxnut is a low-carbohydrate substitute for rice in this phirni recipe.
The most common use of lotus seeds in the Indian kitchen is to munch them while observing religious fasting, as they are considered pure and unadulterated.
One can use foxnuts to prepare curry , caramel foxnuts , masala roasted foxnuts , kheer , or phirni. Makhana Phirni is a creamy Indian milk pudding with foxnuts or lotus seeds (makhana).
Making Makhana Phirni
Step 1) Start by lightly roasting the makhana in ghee for about 5 – 10 minutes or till they are crispy.
Step 2) Grind them in the mixer to a coarse powder.
Step 3) Meanwhile, boil milk in a thick-bottomed dish. Use full-fat milk to get the desired creaminess. The milk is flavored with nuts, spices, and saffron, sweetened with sugar, and left to simmer for a while.
Step 4) Later, the lotus seed powder is added and mixed, and left to simmer on a low flame for about 10 minutes. Once the phirni is ready, it must be kept in the fridge to get chilled.
Watch Makhana Phirni Video
The Phirni Parfait
Phiri Parfait is a more delicious and stylish way to serve classic makhana phirni.
The creamy phirni is topped with different layers, making it more tempting and delectable.
Different layers of the phirni parfait :
Since a parfait includes layering, you’ll need to assemble ingredients for each layer beforehand:
- Phirni layer – The lotus seeds milk pudding that we refrigerated earlier.
- Fresh Fruits – Use whatever fruits you like or are in season. I have used a mix of mango, apple, pomegranate, and strawberry. But make sure the fruit has a sweet taste and is not sour.
- Dried Fruits – You can use toasted nuts like cashew, almond, pistachios, walnuts (crushed into smaller pieces), and raisins. Even edible rose petals can also be used.
- Bread Croutons – Fry some dry bread in ghee till crisp as we do for shahi tukda . These ghee-fried bread croutons add crunch and a shahi tukda like character to the parfait.
How To Assemble Phirni Parfait
Prepare the makhana phirni and keep it in the fridge to chill.
Meanwhile, chop the fruits into bite-size pieces. Make sure to cut them just before assembling the parfait, as fruits might lose their freshness.
Deep-fry the bread croutons and transfer them to a plate lined with a kitchen towel. Slightly warm bread croutons served on top of chilled phirni are quite a decadent combination.
- Use transparent serving glasses/cups so one can see the layers of the dessert.
- Top the phirni with fruits, fried bread, croutons, and toasted nuts.
- Once the layering is done, serve phirni parfait immediately else, the fruits and the bread croutons lose their freshness.
It is a matter of personal choice. During the summer season, most of us like to enjoy phirni chilled, whereas, on a cold winter night, it is best served warm or at least at room temperature. But phirni parfait is always served chilled.
The best way to make thick and luscious firni is to use full-cream milk. Simmer the milk over low heat and add back the cream collected on the sides of the milk. The right proportion of milk and foxnuts powder will always get you thick restaurant-style phirni without using any cornflour.
More Indian Kheer Recipes
- Paneer Kheer
- Lauki Ki Kheer
- Vegan Badam Phirni
- Carrot Sabudana Kheer
- Sugar-free Apple Kheer
- Gobi (Cauliflower) Kheer
- Samavat Rice Kheer (Vrat Kheer)
more Indian kheer recipes for all festive celebrations.
Ingredients
For Makhana Phirni:
- ▢ 1 liter full-cream milk (full fat milk)
- ▢ 2 Cup lotus seeds (foxnuts/makhana)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ▢ ½ Cup granulated white sugar or to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- ▢ ¼ Cup almonds (badam)
- ▢ ¼ Cup pistachio
Ingredients for Phirni Parfait:
- ▢ 2 Cup diced fruits (peach, mango, apple)
- ▢ 2 tablespoon pomegranate pearls
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio/almonds
- ▢ 2 white bread slices
- ▢ ¼ Cup ghee (clarified butter)
Instructions
How To Make Kesar Makhana Phirni:
- Make a coarse powder of almonds and pistachio in the blender. Set aside until required.
- In pan heat ghee and roast foxnuts for 5 minutes. Pulse in a blender once to make a coarse powder. Keep aside
- Take milk in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the cardamom powder and saffron strands. Boil on low flame. Keep on stirring at regular intervals.
- Once the milk is reduced to half the original amount add the foxnut powder and dry fruits powder. Stir to combine nicely.
- Allow the milk to simmer until it thickens and stir at regular intervals. Add the sugar, simmer the phirni for 3 – 5 minutes or till sugar is dissolved and then turn off the heat.
- Allow the phirni to cool down completely. Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
How To Assemble Phirni Parfait:
- Dice the fruits into bite-size pieces. Slightly dry roast the nuts.
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry the bread croutons till crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
- Divide an equal portion of makhana phirni into the serving bowls/glasses. Add a layer of fruits, nuts and bread croutons.
- Serve makhana phirni parfait immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- It is best to use full fat milk for making creamy Indian desserts such as phirni.
- Stir the milk at regular intervals while simmering to avoid burning. Use a wooden spoon to stir the milk and phirni.
- Do not make a fine powder of dry fruit or foxnut. Keep it coarse in texture. One pulse in a food processor or blender is enough.
- Make sure to add sugar only after the phirni is nearly done.
- Phirni thickens in texture after cooling. Hence, adjust the consistency accordingly.
- Allow phirni to chill in the fridge for 4 – 5 hours or overnight before serving or assembling the parfait.
Nutrition
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Kesar Makhana Phirni Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
For Makhana Phirni:
- 1 liter full-cream milk (full fat milk)
- 2 Cup lotus seeds (foxnuts/makhana)
- ½ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ½ Cup granulated white sugar or to taste
- 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- ¼ Cup almonds (badam)
- ¼ Cup pistachio
Ingredients for Phirni Parfait:
- 2 Cup diced fruits (peach, mango, apple)
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate pearls
- 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio/almonds
- 2 white bread slices
- ¼ Cup ghee (clarified butter)
Instructions
How To Make Kesar Makhana Phirni:
- Make a coarse powder of almonds and pistachio in the blender. Set aside until required.
- In pan heat ghee and roast foxnuts for 5 minutes. Pulse in a blender once to make a coarse powder. Keep aside
- Take milk in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the cardamom powder and saffron strands. Boil on low flame. Keep on stirring at regular intervals.
- Once the milk is reduced to half the original amount add the foxnut powder and dry fruits powder. Stir to combine nicely.
- Allow the milk to simmer until it thickens and stir at regular intervals. Add the sugar, simmer the phirni for 3 - 5 minutes or till sugar is dissolved and then turn off the heat.
- Allow the phirni to cool down completely. Keep it in the fridge until ready to serve.
How To Assemble Phirni Parfait:
- Dice the fruits into bite-size pieces. Slightly dry roast the nuts.
- Heat ghee in a pan and fry the bread croutons till crisp and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
- Divide an equal portion of makhana phirni into the serving bowls/glasses. Add a layer of fruits, nuts and bread croutons.
- Serve makhana phirni parfait immediately.
Video
Notes
- It is best to use full fat milk for making creamy Indian desserts such as phirni.
- Stir the milk at regular intervals while simmering to avoid burning. Use a wooden spoon to stir the milk and phirni.
- Do not make a fine powder of dry fruit or foxnut. Keep it coarse in texture. One pulse in a food processor or blender is enough.
- Make sure to add sugar only after the phirni is nearly done.
- Phirni thickens in texture after cooling. Hence, adjust the consistency accordingly.
- Allow phirni to chill in the fridge for 4 - 5 hours or overnight before serving or assembling the parfait.
Nutrition
Rice Kheer Recipe is an age-old traditional Indian pudding. Here is a tried and tested chawal ki kheer recipe of my family.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
- Kheer – The Indian Pudding
- My Mom’s Rice Kheer Recipe
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Kheer
- My Tried and True Tips
- Rice Kheer Recipe
Looking for more Diwali recipes? Try my 50+ Traditional Diwali Recipe Ideas , or if you are a paneer lover, 15 Best Paneer Recipes for Diwali . We have 10 Indian thali festive thali meals that will make your Diwali feast one of the best.
Kheer – The Indian Pudding
Kheer is a creamy, luscious, purely vegetarian, gluten-free Indian milk pudding. The rice kheer is one of the most common types of dessert made on every auspicious occasion. Also, known as chawal ki kheer. ‘Chawal’ is the Hindi term for rice.
My Mom’s Rice Kheer Recipe
On a festive morning, while gliding around the kitchen skillfully completing the remaining chores, my mother would simultaneously prepare her signature rice kheer with – rice, milk, and sugar .
While the kheer bubbles and simmers calmly in the pot, she takes out a box full of dry fruits from the wooden cabinet in the kitchen. She thinly slices them manually for the kheer. The expensive spices like saffron, and edible flowers are never part of her kheer recipe, still, it has a delicious taste.
The secret behind her delectable rice kheer is the organic buffalo milk, handpicked tukda basmati rice , both sourced from the local farmer’s market and the last, slow cooking process.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice: The broken basmati or the tukda basmati is what I use to make an aromatic kheer. You can use any short – medium grain rice like Jasmine, Gobind bhog, Jeera Samba, Sharbati, or any other similar variety of rice.
- Milk: Full-fat cow or buffalo milk along with cream (malai) is the soul of a good kheer.
- Sugar: You can add either granulated white sugar or jaggery powder.
- Green Cardamom Powder: For a subtle aroma and taste.
- Ghee: To fry the rice and nuts
- Nuts: Almonds, pistachio, cashews, chironji, raisins. You can add a combination of either of these nuts.
How To Make Kheer
Step 1) Rinse the rice till the water runs clear. Soak for 20 minutes.
Step 2) After 20 minutes, drain all the water from the soaked rice. Heat ghee in a pan. Add rice, and fry for 3 – 5 minutes to soften the rice.
Step 3) Add milk, and cardamom powder, stir and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Now, slow cook the kheer till the rice is soft, and the milk is thick.
Step 4) Once the texture of the kheer turns creamy, add sugar. Stir and simmer the kheer till the sugar is completely dissolved.
The rice kheer is ready!
Additional Toppings for Rice Kheer
- Heat ghee in a small pan. Add sliced nuts and dried fruits. Fry for 1 – 2 minutes without burning.
- Pour these ghee-fried nuts over the rice kheer before serving. They give a delicious crunch to the kheer.
My Tried and True Tips
Tip 1: Picking the Right Rice : In my view, the best rice for kheer is medium grain white rice. Avoid using long-grain rice like basmati for making rice kheer, as it does not have enough starch. Brown Rice or any rice with husk is also not my first choice for making any authentic kheer.
Tip 2: Uncooked Rice : Many readers in the past asked me about using cooked/steamed rice for making Indian kheer. I strongly said ‘NO’. The rice has to be slow-cooked in milk for a desired creamy texture.
Tip 3: The Milk : Prefer using full-fat, organic cow or buffalo milk for making rice kheer. You can use non-dairy milk like coconut or almond for a vegan kheer.
Tip 4: The Right Time To Add Sugar : The sugar is always added towards the end of the cooking process. If you add sugar at the beginning of the process the cooking time gets double and the milk does not thicken properly.
Tip 5: Stir and Slow Cook : While slow-cooking kheer, continuously stir it using a ladle at regular intervals. You can use the slow cook mode of an instant pot as well for making a delicious bowl of rice kheer.
Tip 6: Consistency : This kheer firm up as it cools. Hence, adjust the consistency accordingly. Do not thicken it too much while cooking. Otherwise, after a few hours, it will become a thick, semi-solid goop.
More Indian Kheer Recipes
- Lauki Kheer
- Paneer Kheer
- Seviyan Kheer
- Badam Kheer
- Gujarati Doodh Pak
- Apple Quinoa Kheer
- Bengali Orange Kheer
more Indian kheer recipes for all festive celebrations.
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee
- ▢ ¼ Cup white rice (short to medium size)
- ▢ 1 litre full fat milk
- ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ▢ ½ Cup white granulated sugar or to taste
- ▢ ¼ Cup pistachio and almonds, sliced
Instructions
- To prepare the rice kheer, rinse the rice with water 2 – 3 times or till the water runs clear. Soak the rice in enough water for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, drain all the water from the soaked rice. Transfer rice to a colander to drain all the water.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a heavy bottom kadhai or casserole. Add rice, saute for 3 – 5 minutes, or till the grains of rice turn translucent.
- Add milk, cardamom powder, stir to avoid any lump formation and let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and let the milk simmer. Keep on stirring the rice at regular intervals.
- The whole process of slow cooking the rice in the milk takes about 30 – 40 minutes on a low flame. Continuously stir the kheer while it is simmering to avoid sticking it to the bottom of the pan. Also, scrape the sides of the pan and add this layer of cream into the kheer.
- Once the rice is cooked and the kheer is thickened, that is the signal it is ready. Add sugar, mix, and allow the kheer to simmer for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining ghee in a small pan. Once hot, fry the sliced pistachio, almonds, raisins, chironji for 1 minute or till slightly brown. Pour this over the prepared rice kheer.
- Serve Rice Kheer warm or chilled garnished with saffron and dry fruits.
Recipe Notes:
- The best rice for kheer is medium grain, uncooked white rice. Do not use pre-cooked or instant rice for making kheer.
- You can make rice kheer in a slow cooker as well.
- The rice kheer firm up as it cools. Hence, do not make it too thick otherwise after cooling down it will become like a semi-solid pudding.
- Adding saffron to the rice kheer is optional. You can add it for sweet aroma and beautiful colour.
- Rice Kheer is best enjoyed warm. Store the leftover rice in a refrigerator for 1 week. Heat in the microwave and add a splash of water to loosen it up. It reheats very well.
Nutrition
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