Sorry for the ramble about kashrut and idolatry.

Think I’ll steal your recipe!

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!

When has he been wrong? Gil Marks is a terrific food writer and historian and does his homework.

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.