Phirni

Cooks in: 20 Minutes Serves: 2 People

Happy Baisakhi/Bihu/Ugadi/Gudi Padwa/Vishu/Tamil Puththandu to all !! The festival is celebrated in many parts of our country and I am sharing two excellent dessert dishes for the upcoming festival. It is believed that phirni hailed from ancient Persia or Middle East and it’s the Mughals who both invented and introduced it to India. The Mughal Empire relished the regal milk-based dish and made it popular. In this recipe I have replaced basmati rice with millet, but that in anyway did not change the richness of the dish. Try these exotic varieties of phirnis and enjoy with family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Barnyard Millet
• 2 Cups of Milk
• 1/2 Cup Country Sugar/Nattu Sarkarai
• 1/4 Cup Carrot Puree
• 1/4 Cup Mango Puree
• 8 Soaked and Peeled Almonds
• 1/4 Tsp Cardamom Powder
• Some Chopped Nuts

Directions:

1. First, wash and soak millet for 2 hours. Drain completely. Dry the millet on a cloth for 10 minutes. Using the small mixie jar grind it to fine rava consistency along with peeled almonds.
2. For carrot Phirni: Heat a pan and add a cup of milk. When it starts boiling, keeping the heat on low, add 3 tbsp of ground rava and mix continuously so that no lumps are formed. Alternatively you can mix the rava in a tbsp of water and make a paste and add to the milk.
3. Let it cook for a few minutes. When the rava is cooked, add 1/4 cup sugar and when it melts completely, add the carrot puree*. cook for a minute and keep mixing so that the bottom does not burn. Turn off heat and add cardamom powder and nuts.
4. For Mango Phirni: Heat a cup of milk and when it starts boiling add the paste of 3 tbsp ground rava and cook for a few minutes. When it is fully cooked, add sugar followed by mango puree. After a minute turn off heat and add cardamom powder and decorate with nuts. Make sure throughout the heat is on low.
5. Refrigerate both phirnis for a few hours and serve chill.

Note:

• *For carrot puree, peel a medium size carrot and cut into pieces. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Grind without adding water to get soft puree.
• For Mango puree, just peel a mango and grind.
• Rose water can be added to enhance the flavour.