Phirni

Method

1. 1 Basmati rice is soaked for 30 minutes, then each grain is crushed into three or four pieces; phirni uses broken rice, resulting in a thick, smooth consistency, while kheer uses whole rice, resulting in a thinner, grainy consistency.
2. 2 Heat the milk with the pre-brewed saffron, stirring constantly to prevent a film from forming on the bottom of the pot.
3. 3 Sprinkle the broken rice into the simmering milk, then cook for 25 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. 4 Only add sugar when the rice is completely cooked; adding sugar too early will make the rice grains hard and prevent them from expanding.
5. 5 Add cardamom and rose water, divide into earthenware bowls, and refrigerate for 2 hours until thickened.

With an appliance

• Oven 55 min

  Replace step 3: sprinkle broken rice into the saffron milk in a partially covered bowl, bake on the middle rack of the oven at 150 degrees for 28 minutes, stirring at the 10th and 20th minutes; keep step 4 the same, only add sugar when the rice is soft.