Recipes | Fruity Firni – A Creamy Indian Rice Pudding Shared with a Food Blogger Friend at Home Recipe
You can take a girl out of desserts, but you can’t take desserts out of a girl. Oh yes, I was born with a dessert spoon! According to my nanny my mom was feasting on hot Malpuas dipped in creamy Rabdi a few minutes before she went into labour pains, much to the chagrin of my stressed out doctor father.
Desserts were an important part of our everyday meal during growing up years in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Our family was certainly not an exception in a state where a day starts and ends with a sweet, what with people queuing up in food shops before the day breaks, fishing out hot Jalebis floating in warm milk for breakfast.
Though some of the fanciful desserts such as Mousse, souffle or cheesecakes were beyond her imagination but there was always a simple spread of nutty Shrikhand, warm Kheer, Matka Kulfi, comforting carrot Halwa or a creamy Firni to brighten up our meal.
Mom fondly remembers how I used to get irked when the second serving of dessert was denied. The little rebellion in me would often announce “You wait and see mom, my kitchen will be flowing with desserts and chocolates when I grow up..and I will not share it with anyone’
How times change, I don’t fancy those sinful desserts anymore, a fresh fruit or a handful of raisins is what I crave for when sweet pangs strike.
So what if the dessert spoon I was born with is lost and the appetite for sweet has reduced, the desire to cook and serve is still alight.
Food blogger friend for lunch at home
My home was abuzz with laughter and food when a food blogger friend from UK, Rebecca of Chow and Chatter visited recently for lunch with her husband and two lovely kids. The dinning table was stir cleared of all the dishes as soon as her son hopped on the chair pretending to eat a big meal. It was real fun to watch the little bundle of joy making mess, tasting and mixing every dish on the table.
Some of the dishes on the menu were Kadai Paneer, spicy green gram daal, vegetable Biryani, flat breads, carrot Halwa and Strawberry Firni.
1. Strawberry Firni
Ingredients;
(serve 4)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup crushed Strawberries
2 tbsp. Basmati rice
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla essence
Method; Wash and soak rice in water for 3-4 hours. Drain and grind the soaked rice into coarse paste using 1-2 tsp. of milk. Clean and hull the strawberries and crush with your hands or a ladle.
If you are using earthen pots to set the Firni, wash each pot thoroughly and soak in water for 10 hours or more.
Heat a heavy bottom pan, pour 2 cups of milk in it and bring it to boil. Add the coarsely ground rice paste in hot milk and let it simmer on medium heat. Keep stirring till the milk thickens, it will take 10-12 minutes to get the right consistency which is neither too dry nor too runny.
Add sugar and take the pan off the flame and let it cool slightly.
Add Vanilla essence, crushed strawberries and mix well. Pour the thick batter into soaked earthen pots or individual bowls and cover with cling foil.
Keep a few slices of strawberries for garnishing. Refrigerate all the bows or earthen pots till Firni is set.
2. Blackberry Firni
Ingredients;
(serve 4)
- 2 cups whole milk/coconut milk
- 2 tbsp. Blackberry preserve
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. Basmati rice
- 1 tbsp. crushed cashew nuts
Blackberry preserve gives a wonderful color to the Firni, tiny blackberry seeds in the preserve add extra crunch to the recipe.
Method; Wash and soak rice in water for 3-4 hours. Drain, grind the soaked rice and cashew nuts into coarse paste using 1-2 tsp. of milk.
If you are using earthen pots to set the Firni, wash each pot thoroughly and soak in water for 10 hours or more.
Heat a heavy bottom pan, pour 2 cups of milk in it and bring it to boil. Add the coarsely ground rice and cashew nut paste in hot milk and let it simmer on medium heat. Keep stirring till the milk thickens, it will take 10-12 minutes to get the right consistency which is neither too dry nor too runny.
Take the pan off the flame and let it cool slightly.
Earthen pot to set and serve Firni…
Add honey, Vanilla essence, blackberry preserve and mix well. Pour the thick batter into soaked earthen pots or individual bowls and cover with cling foil.
Refrigerate all the bows or earthen pots till Blackberry Firni is set. Garnish each Firni pot with crushed nuts or silver varak.
Scoop a little fruit preserve and add in the serving glass before pouring the Firni batter to set. Light on stomach and easy to make, Firni is such a delightful dessert to indulge in summer.
Notes;
Basmati rice gives a wonderful flavor to the Firni, you could replace it with any other rice in the recipe.
Normally Firni is set in earthen post which helps in absorbing excess liquid from the Frini and thereby making it more thicker.
Use any fruit jam or preserve of your choice in the blackberry Firni recipe.
Fruits such as Mango, Chikoo, pineapple, banana and apple make delicious Firni.
Replace half of milk with cream or condensed milk to get a thicker and scrumptious Firni.