Millet Kheer With Jaggery: A Gluten-Free Offering For Guru Purnima

Kheer holds a special significance in the festival of Guru Purnima. It is viewed as a holy treat that symbolises simplicity, comfort, purity, abundance, and sattvic nourishment. When made purely out of healthy ingredients like millets, the kheer takes a new, even more healthier turn that makes it a power packed dessert for anytime you want.

This recipe for kheer is made with millet and jaggery, which reflects how the grounded nourishment can teach about the humble wisdom of a guru. With the healthy ingredients, this kheer becomes more than just a dessert, it becomes a perfect hunger buster for your little sweet cravings. Here is a simple recipe you can follow to make kheer out of millet to celebrate Guru Purnima on a healthy note.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Barnyard millet, or use foxtail/kodo millet as alternatives
• 1 liter Full-fat milk, or vegan alternatives like coconut or almond milk
• ½ cup Jaggery (grated or powdered)
• ½ tsp Green cardamom powder
• A pinch of Saffron strands soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
• 2 tbsp Chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios
• 1 tbsp Raisins
• 1 tsp Ghee for roasting nuts, or vegan butter

Method:

Step 1: Wash and Soak the Millet

Rinse the ½ cup millet thoroughly with running water 2 to 3 times to remove all the dust from it along with the starch. Soak it for 15 to 20 minutes in water to help reduce the cooktime and make it more digestible. You can also skip soaking if you want. Drain the millet and set it aside.

Step 2: Cook the Millet

Take a deep saucepan and add the soaked millet to it along with 1½ cups of water. Cook it on medium heat while stirring occasionally and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until it becomes soft and mushy. You can also cook the millet in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles with the same amount of water instead of cooking in an open pot to make it easier.

Step 3: Boil and Reduce the Milk

While the millet is cooking, pour 1 liter of full-fat milk in a different heavy-bottomed pan and bring it to a boil on medium heat. Stir it occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the pan or burning from the bottom. Once it boils, turn the flame to low and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes to reduce the milk and thicken it.

Step 4: Combine Millet and Milk

Once the millet is cooked until soft and the milk has thickened slightly, add the cooked millet into it and stir continuously to ensure there are no lumps remaining. The mixture should be creamy and smooth with even consistency. Let it cook for another 10 to 15 minutes so that the millet absorbs the milky flavor.

Step 5: Add Cardamom and Saffron

Now it is time to flavor the milk and millet mixture. For this stir in ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder and the soaked saffron milk. Mix it well until the aroma of cardamom enhances and the color of saffron starts to blend in. The mixture should turn golden with the addition of saffron.

Step 6: Sweeten with Jaggery

Now time to sweeten the kheer. Turn off the heat and let the kheer cool down for a few minutes. After cooling it down, stir in ½ cup of grated jaggery until it dissolves completely in warm kheer. While the kheer is steaming hot, adding jaggery might curdle the milk so you have to cool the kheer down first before adding jaggery. Adjust the amount of jaggery based on your preference.

Step 7: Roast and Add Nuts & Raisins

Now that the kheer is prepared, it is time to enhance the flavor with nutty additions. Take a small pan and heat 1 teaspoon of ghee. Add chopped almonds, cashews, pistachios, and raisins to it and roast until turned golden and aromatic. To make a vegan version, you can dry roast the nuts or skip roasting. Once the nuts are prepared, add it to the kheer and mix well to distribute it evenly.

Step 8: Garnish and Serve

Finally, pour the kheer in bowls and garnish it with slivered almonds, pistachios, and a few strands of saffron. You can also add some rose petals for a royal touch. Serve the kheer warm for a cozy experience or chill it for a few hours if you want to make it a perfect treat for warm weather.