Phirni is a popular Indian sweet dish made with rice, milk, and sugar. This is a tried and tested Mughlai-style traditional phirni recipe.
About ‘Phirni’
There are different stories about the origin of Phirni. It is believed this rich and creamy milk pudding came into existence during the Mughal era as a royal desert.
Today Phirni is a popular sweet dish across the Indian subcontinent.
Usually, it is served in traditional, eco-friendly earthen pots ( Mitti Ke Kulhad or Matki ). In ancient times refrigerators were not invented, so serving Phirni in earthen vessels had a purpose; it remains chilled for a longer duration and has a particularly pleasing taste.
Phirni vs. Kheer
Many food lovers confuse phirni with kheer. These two are different types of Indian milk pudding.
The common ingredients between both dessert recipes are – milk, sugar, cardamom powder, saffron, and rice (if it is rice kheer ) .
The phirni is more creamy and thick in texture than kheer.
Kheer can be served warm or cold, but a phirni tastes best when chilled.
Ingredients Required
For this classic phirni recipe, you need a handful of staple ingredients.
Milk: Use full-fat dairy milk for a rich and creamy phirni.
Rice: Usually, long-grain basmati rice is used for making phirni. But you can make it with brown rice as I do for badam phirni or foxnuts (makhana) to keep it low in calories.
Sugar : Use granulated white sugar
Saffron: It gives a golden color, intense aroma, and sweet taste to the firni.
Cardamom Powder: Elaichi (green cardamom powder) gives a sweet aroma and taste.
Nuts: Almonds and pistachio are best friends of a phirni. You can skip adding nuts if you are allergic.
Step-By-Step Process
Prepare Rice Powder: Clean, wash, and soak rice in water for 15 minutes. Next, drain water, and spread soaked rice on a metal strainer or dry kitchen towel.
Allow the rice to become completely dry. It should not be wet or moist.
Make a coarse powder (you should feel the rice texture) of rice in the blender. DO NOT make a fine powder. Keep aside.
Dry Fruits Powder: Grind almonds and pistachio to a coarse powder. Set aside. You can grind green cardamom as well with them.
Make Phirni: Boil milk in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add dry fruit powder and saffron, stir to combine, and simmer the milk over low heat.
Add rice powder once the milk is reduced to almost half the original quantity. Stir continuously to avoid any lump formation.
Cook till rice is soft and mushy and the texture of phirni is thick.
Once phirni is thick, add sugar and stir to combine nicely. Cook for a few more minutes for the sugar to dissolve. Turn off the heat.
Allow the phirni to cool down entirely before keeping it in the refrigerator.
My Tried & True Tips
It is best to use full-fat milk for this phirni recipe.
Stir the milk at regular intervals while simmering to avoid burning. Use a wooden spoon to stir the milk and phirni.
The rice should not be wet/moist while grinding; it will form lumps once added to milk.
Do not make a fine powder of dry fruit or rice. Instead, 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 thickened.
Phirni thickens more in texture after cooling. Hence, adjust the consistency accordingly.
Allow phirni to chill in the fridge for 1 – 2 hours or overnight before serving.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
A firni is best-served cold in earthen pots ( mitti ke kulhad ). I prefer making it a day before serving and chilling it in the refrigerator overnight.
Suppose you are not keen on serving it chilled. Instead, serve firni at room temperature.
Store the leftover phirni in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. No need to reheat. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Watch Phirni Video
More Indian Dessert Recipes
Jalebi
Rice Kheer
Mawa Barfi
Besan Laddo
Paneer Kheer
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1- lite full fat milk
- ▢ ¼ Cup rice
- ▢ ½ Cup granulated white sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon saffron
- ▢ 2 tablespoon almonds
- ▢ 2 tablespoon pistachio
Instructions
- To prepare the Phirni, wash and soak rice in water for about 15 minutes. Next, drain water, and spread soaked rice on a metal strainer or dry kitchen towel. Allow the rice to become completely dry. It should not be wet or moist.
- Make a coarse powder (you should feel the rice texture) of rice in the blender. DO NOT make a fine powder. Keep aside in a bowl.
- Grind almonds and pistachio to a coarse powder. Set aside. You can grind green cardamom as well with them.
- Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan, reduce the heat to low once the milk starts bubbling. Add saffron, cardamom powder, and dry fruits powder. Stir to combine.
- Simmer the milk over low heat and stir at regular intervals until milk is reduced to almost half from the original quantity.
- Add rice powder. Stir continuously to avoid any lump formation. Cook till rice is soft, mushy, and the texture of phirni is thick.
- Once phirni is thick, add sugar and stir to combine nicely. Taste and add more sugar if required. After cooling down, the phirni taste less sweet. Cook for few more minutes for the sugar to dissolve. Turn off the heat.
- Let Phirni cool down for some time. Once Phirni has cooled down transfer it into earthenware containers. Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve Phirni chilled garnished with chopped nuts and saffron strands.
Recipe Notes:
- Never add sugar before milk is thickened. It prevents milk from thickening.
- After adding rice powder continuously stir the phirni else there is lump formation.
- After cooling down firni becomes thicker. Hence, adjust the consistency accordingly.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Traditional Phirni Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 1- lite full fat milk
- ¼ Cup rice
- ½ Cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon saffron
- 2 tablespoon almonds
- 2 tablespoon pistachio
Instructions
- To prepare the Phirni, wash and soak rice in water for about 15 minutes. Next, drain water, and spread soaked rice on a metal strainer or dry kitchen towel. Allow the rice to become completely dry. It should not be wet or moist.
- Make a coarse powder (you should feel the rice texture) of rice in the blender. DO NOT make a fine powder. Keep aside in a bowl.
- Grind almonds and pistachio to a coarse powder. Set aside. You can grind green cardamom as well with them.
- Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan, reduce the heat to low once the milk starts bubbling. Add saffron, cardamom powder, and dry fruits powder. Stir to combine.
- Simmer the milk over low heat and stir at regular intervals until milk is reduced to almost half from the original quantity.
- Add rice powder. Stir continuously to avoid any lump formation. Cook till rice is soft, mushy, and the texture of phirni is thick.
- Once phirni is thick, add sugar and stir to combine nicely. Taste and add more sugar if required. After cooling down, the phirni taste less sweet. Cook for few more minutes for the sugar to dissolve. Turn off the heat.
- Let Phirni cool down for some time. Once Phirni has cooled down transfer it into earthenware containers. Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serve Phirni chilled garnished with chopped nuts and saffron strands.
Notes
- Never add sugar before milk is thickened. It prevents milk from thickening.
- After adding rice powder continuously stir the phirni else there is lump formation.
- After cooling down firni becomes thicker. Hence, adjust the consistency accordingly.
Nutrition
Mathri is a crisp, savoury Indian cracker. It is a perfect teatime snack. This is a tried and tested Haldiram-style Methi Mathri Recipe. Be sure to watch the video!
Methi Mathri
What is Mathri?
Mathri is a savoury Indian snack like samosa and kachori. It is a flaky, crispy, vegetarian, eggless cracker that you can store for months at room temperature.
There are different flavours of mathri – methi mathri , masala mathri , ajwain mathri , baked mathri , or plain mathri .
Almost every Indian household has a jar of mathri in the kitchen cabinet. It is a quintessential teatime snack favourite of kids and adults.
My Methi Mathri Recipe
The Methi Mathri Recipe comes from my mother’s recipe journal. And she is a perfectionist when it comes to making mathri.
The entire batch is of equal size, perfectly fried at the right temperature, and subtly flavoured. There is this pleasing aroma of dried fenugreek, along with the crispness provided by semolina.
With much ease, she prepares a large batch of a kilogram or so. And packs it with love for globe trotters like us, who often celebrate festivals away from home.
This mathri recipe from her kitchen often makes me feel close to her and taste the essence of her artisanal cooking.
Methi Mathri
My Tried & True Tips
The flour mixture, after adding oil, should resemble fine bread crumbs.
Always add water, one tablespoon at a time to bind the dough. Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes.
Rest the mathri dough for 15 minutes , covered with a wet muslin cloth.
To shape the mathri, divide the dough into equal size small balls and flatten them with your fingers or palm to form a tiny disc. Do not press the disc too hard. It would reduce the thickness of the mathri.
Ensure the oil is heated to the right temperature before frying the mathri.
Fry mathri in small batches of 6 – 8 rather than over-crowding the frying pan. Flip at regular intervals and cook evenly from both sides.
Watch Mathri Recipe Video
Serving & Storing Suggestion
Like, a cracker, you can serve mathri with everything and anything. In India, we like to relish mathri with our favourite chutney , pickle , and a cup of masala tea .
Methi Mathri is an excellent pre-made snack for travelling. It remains fresh at room temperature for days.
The best way to store mathri is in an airtight container at room temperature.
In a hot tropical climate, it is best to keep it in the refrigerator after a week else the mathri starts tasting bad.
More Indian Snack Recipes
- Matar Kachori
- Baked Mathri
- Banana Chips
- Khasta Kachori
- Mix Veg Cutlet
- Sabudana Vada
- Homemade Papdi
- Moong Dal Samosa
- Murmura Namkeen
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 Cup all-purpose flour (maida)
- ▢ ¼ Cup semolina (rava/suji)
- ▢ ¼ Cup refined oil or any flavorless oil
- ▢ ¼ Cup dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- ▢ ¼ Cup water, at room temperature
- ▢ Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Prepare Mathri Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together flour, semolina, ajwain, kasuri methi, and salt. Mix nicely using a spoon or your fingers.
- Pour oil and rebu the flour mixture using fingers. The flour mixture should resemble fine bread crumbs. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, and knead a stiff yet pliable dough. Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Keep the dough aside for 15 minutes covered with a wet muslin cloth.
Shape Mathri:
- Now to shape the mathri, divide the dough into equal size small balls and flatten them with your fingers or palm to form a tiny disc. Do not press the disc too hard. It would reduce the thickness of the mathri. Similarly, shape all the mathri.
Frying Mathri:
- Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium flame.
- As the oil reaches the desired temperature, reduce the heat to low. Place 6-8 mathri at a time based on the size of the vessel and fry till golden brown, flip at regular intervals and cook evenly from both sides.
- Increase the heat to medium-high towards the end of the cooking process and when the mathris attain a golden shade
- Transfer the fried mathri to a metal sieve or colander lined with a paper towel. Similarly, fry the mathri in small batches.
- Allow mathri to cool down completely before storing it. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
