Indian Rice Pudding
According to Gil Marks, this coconut-cardamom rice pudding is a traditional Rosh HaShanah dessert among Indian Jews. As always, I can’t vouch for Marks’ accuracy, but I can vouch for deliciousness of this rich, sweet pudding.
You can substitute soy milk for up to half the coconut milk.
Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)
2 cups water
1 cup white rice
5 cups coconut milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 cardamom pods or 1/2-1 tsp. ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extractBring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, sugar, cardamom, and salt. Simmer, uncovered and stirring frequently, over medium heat until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.
Yields 6-8 servings.
It’s nice to have a pareve recipe for rice pudding. (The version I made for the Indian potluck mentioned a while back prominently featured milk.) Now to find a pareve recipe for grapenut pudding!
where does one obtain kosher coconut milk? is coconut milk one of those things that are kosher without a hechsher?
Thai Kitchen makes kosher coconut milk — Certified under the OK. Go to OK website to see if items are under certification.
I believe the Goya product from the Dom. Rep. is kosher. Check it out. We make our own at times too. Its not hard, just takes time.
Would this recipe work with jasmine or brown basmati rice?
Naphtoli: There is a discussion of coconut milk here (mostly info. already in this comment thread). I have heard in the name of R. Eidlitz that coconut milk does not require a hekhsher, but consult your own rabbi.
Seth: Haven’t tried it. I like the texture with white rice, and it seems to me that brown might be a little weird, but jasmine should be fine. I’ve also tried coconut rice pudding made made with black rice, which wasn’t bad. Just make sure to check the instructions on whatever rice you’re using. Different types of rice require different quantities of water and different cooking times.
“As always, I can’t vouch for his accuracy”?
When has he been wrong? Gil Marks is a terrific food writer and historian and does his homework.
I didn’t mean to impugn his accuracy. I just meant that I can’t back him up. Food history is particularly difficult to verify, since it often comes by word of mouth.
Glad to see that hechshered coconut milk is available again! I’ve been craving Thai spicy coconut soup!
I used to make a very similar kheer, but stopped for a couple of reasons. One: the coconut milk at Trader Joe’s gave up (or lost) its hechsher.
There was a second reason: I foolishly asked an Orthodox rabbi about the cardamom. (You can probably guess where I’m going, so you may want to stop reading now…)
Still reading?
Ok. The recipe I used came from a Hindu temple in India. At the temple, the cardamom was first sacrificed to the presiding deity. Even though I wasn’t using the cardamom in a non-Jewish religious ritual, the rabbi (Orthodox, remember) said I couldn’t make the recipe at all. I did try it once without the cardamom, but it was disappointing.
Patay avon / Bon appetite!
Oops — just noticed your intro: a traditional Rosh HaShanah dessert among Indian Jews.
Sorry for the ramble about kashrut and idolatry.
Think I’ll steal your recipe!
Thank you… I made this recipe once a year ago but didn’t bookmark the page and I am so glad I found it again. Thank you for sharing your recipe I love it.