By: Dr. Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.
Phirni is one of those concepts well known to us since a long time which talks about sweet made with a base of milk with rice in various forms usually crushed or an in a coarse paste form which gets cooked, sweetened and thickens up the milk like a custard texture and can be enriched with nuts, saffron, fruits etc and be a perfect delight to be enjoyed by foodies and connoisseurs of sweet treats!
A phirni is not only an interesting sweet to experiment with but also to indulge into and work out concoctions with creative ideas, angles and ways to impress our guests, friends and families. Phirni flavors and tastes, colors and textures are easy to fuse with international cuisines as well. I loved working with the popular mexican orange and chocolate phirni layered with Gulkhand flavoured Gulab jamuns topped with coconut almond praline! Similarly, global phirni parade is fun to work with and include as a part of our day to day cooking.
“A Phirni is one of the perfect way to enjoy a special occasion or get together and relish the authentic Indian flavors using the classic ingredients with a touch of cardamom, hint of saffron, sweetened to perfection and gracefully presented in earthern ware serving bowls, garnished with choice of nuts to add that crunch to munch”- Dr. Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.
Here are three ways of working with Phirni celebrating our Independence day!
Recipe-1] PHALDARI PHIRNI
Ingredients:
For the basic phirni mixture:
Milk- 750 ml
Rice paste- 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- as per taste
Green cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
Cashew powder- 2 tsp
Mava- 2-3 tsp grated
Rose water- 2-3 tsp
For the Phaldaari mix:
Fresh pomegranate seeds- ½ cup
Glazed cherries- 6- 8 no sliced
Raisins- 2-3 tbsp.
Pineapple cubes-1/2 cup
Method:
- Prepare all the ingredients for the phirni recipe and keep it ready.
- Start by boiling the milk and simmer it for 10-12 mins, add green cardamom powder, sugar to taste.
- Add in the rice paste, mava and cook it on a low flame, stirring occasionally until the rice paste which has been ground coarsely with water.
- The phirni starts thickening up as the rice paste cooks hence it is important to maintain the flame on a lower side and stir it to preventing sticking at the base.
- Once it is coating the back side of the spoon and resembles a custard texture, turn off the flame, cool down the phirni completely and then add in the rose water, fruits in layers in dessert cups, glasses or using a pudding bowl.
- Garnish with assorted nuts, and chill the phirni well and then serve.
Recipe-2] THANDAI WALI PHIRNI
Ingredients:
For the basic phirni mixture:
Milk- 750 ml
Rice paste- 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- as per taste
Green cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
Saffron- 4-5 strands
Cashew powder- 2 tsp
Mava- 2-3 tsp grated
Rose water- 2-3 tsp
For the thandai mix flavor:
Thandai syrup- 3-4 tbsp.
Cashews-2-3 tsp chopped
Raisins-2-3 tsp chopped
Almonds- 2-3 tsp chopped
Berries- 2-3 tsp sliced
Apricots/ dates- 2-3 tsp chopped
Method:
- Prepare all the ingredients for the phirni and start with the milk.
- Simmer the milk for 10-12 mins and then add in the green cardamom, rice paste and sugar to taste and a little mava.
- Keep stirring constantly and allow the rice paste to cook up and thicken the milk gradually, keep stirring the mixture.
- Once the phirni is ready, cool it down completely and then add little rose water/ kewra essence as desired. Also add in the thandai syrup and mix well.
- Chill the phirni for a couple of hours, then add in the nuts, layer if desired in glass bowls, clay pots, garnish with assorted nuts of use chocolate chips/ sauce etc.
- The phirni can also be made by using fresh fruit puree/ cut pieces of kiwi/ blue berries etc serve it cold/chilled.
Recipe-3] CHAWAL AUR BADAM WALI PHIRNI
Ingredients:
For the basic phirni mixture:
Milk- 750 ml
Rice paste- 2-3 tbsp.
Sugar- as per taste
Green cardamom powder- ¼ tsp
Saffron- 4-5 strands
Cashew powder- 2 tsp
Mava- 2-3 tsp grated
Rose water- 2-3 tsp
For the additional ingredients:
Almond flakes- 2-3 tbsp.
Almond powder-2 tsp
Apples- 1 small diced
Assorted berries- 3-4 tbsp.
Assorted seasonal fruits- ½ cup
Indian sweets/mithai/ burfi/ jalebi/ pedha – can also be used.
Method:
- Start up with the basic phirni mixture which includes the cooking of the rice paste in the milk along with cardamom and sugar to give it that perfect taste, flavor and texture.
- The milk and rice mixture cooks for around 25- 30 mins on a low flame with constant stirring and it gets thickened up gradually and resembles custard, add in the almond powder and mix well.
- Cool down the rice and milk mixture completely and then start with the layering of the sweet in clay pots/ individual serving bowls/ pudding bowl etc.
- Start the first layer with the phirni then continue with the fresh fruits, chocolate sauce etc, dry fruits/ any choice of mithai can also be used here and top it up with assorted garnishes like crumbled up motichoor ladoo or a sev burfi.
- Allow to chill for couple of hours and then serve the delectable sweet and enjoy the festive season.
________________________________________________________
BRIEF ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DR. KAVIRAJ KHIALANI – CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF IS A MUMBAI BASED FOOD & HOSPITALITY CONSULTANT. HE HAS WORKED WITH ESTEEMED BRANDS LIKE THE TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS, KUWAIT AIRWAYS AND MANY MORE. BESIDES HAVING SPECIALISED IN OVER 33 PLUS INTERNATIONAL CUISINES CHEF KAVIRAJ IS A RENOWNED NAME IN THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY EDUCATION, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. HE HAS ALSO BEEN FEATURED ON STAR PLUS & COLORS TELEVISION. AN AWARDEE OF THE BHARAT VIDYA RATAN AWARD, BEST CHEF ASIA AWARD AND MANY MORE ACCOLADES MAKE HIM ONE OF THE ICONIC NAMES FROM THE CULINARY WORLD.
_______________________________________________________
