Kheer, or Indian Rice Pudding

When I was little, I hated Indian food. The curry smelled funny and the food was spicy. However, I did love kheer. Oh how I loved kheer. I've always been a fan of rice pudding, whether it is the thick American version or the more liquid-y Indian version. There is only one restaurant that I know of that makes kheer perfectly (according to my taste buds at least). The problem is that it is 30 minutes from my house and being a buffet, it gets a little pricey. I looked at several different recipes for kheer, ranging from AllRecipes to food blogs, and found that people seem to like this one the best. It was also the most traditional, using only milk instead of condensed milk or coconut milk. It was surprisingly simple to make and even simpler to eat.


A note: the store I went to didn't have cardamom powder. Actually, the spice aisle had no spices whatsoever. Neither did the aisles next to the spice aisle. So my version (obviously) did not have cardamom. I also don't like raisins or nuts so I omitted those but you can always add them if you like. Hmmm I guess I really just made sweet rice pudding instead of kheer then. No matter. It was tasty.

Kheer
Adapted from this recipe

1 tsp butter
1/4 cup Basmati rice
4 cups whole milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1. In a saucepan, heat the butter. Add the rice and roast for 2-3 minutes over low heat.
2. Add the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high and let the milk come to a boil. Stir to make sure the milk does not stick to the bottom and burn. Add the sugar as you stir.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stirring until the milk has reduced by half and the rice is cooked and soft, 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Add the cardamom. Serve warm or cold.

Yield: 4 servings

Chicken Masala

I love chicken tikka masala. Or butter chicken. I think those terms are synonymous; are they or am I crazy? Oh and did you see the Olympics mens snowboarding halfpipe last night? THAT was crazy. Crazy good! Just like this chicken.



Chicken Masala
Adapted from Bon Appetit Feb 2010

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used Brown Cow)
1/8 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbsp garam masala
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1. Mix yogurt, parsley, olive oil, garam masala, salt and garlic in a large plastic bag. Add chicken to marinade, close bag, and massage chicken so that the marinade covers each piece. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Arrange onions in a thin layer on a large rimmed baking sheet to form a bed for the chicken. Top with chicken pieces in a single layer.
3. Roast chicken on top rack until cooked through and juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Serve chicken atop onion slices. Spoon pan juices around.

Serves 1