Tal Makhane ki kheer/ ताल-मखाने की खीर{Astercantha (Hygrophila) Dessert}

Talmakhana Kheer { Astercantha (Hygrophila) dessert}

Tal makhana is the fruit of lotus which is white in color with a tint of brown. It is very light and does not a strong flavor of its own. Fried Tal Makhana is taken as snack during fasting and the kheer of Tal makhana is offered as Prasad in Janam ashtami and Shiva ratri. It is a dessert for people who are fasting and do not partake any cereal or pulses during fasting. Thus in great demand not only during Janam ashtami and Shiva ratri but also during Navratri time also. A north Indian dessert made up of milk andTtal makhana is a delight to the taste buds.

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 60 min

Servings: 10 medium serving

Ingredients required for making Tal Makhana Kheer:

• 50 gm. Tal Makhana

Tal Makhana

• 2.5 - 3 Lt. Full Cream Milk

• 100 gm. Sugar or to taste

• 5 ml. ghee (clarified butter)

• 25 Almonds

Almond

• 15-20 cashew nuts

Cashew Nuts

• 15-20 raisins

• 5-6 strings of Kesar (saffron)

Directions For Making Tal Makhana Kheer:

• Clean the Tal Makhana for any hard brown cover on them.

• Cut them to half.

Cleaned Tal Makhana broken to half

• Cut Almonds and cashew.

Cut Cashew nuts

Cut Almonds

• Soak Kesar in 2 ml. milk.

• Soak 6-7 Almonds in water.

Almonds soaked in water

• Take ghee in a thick bottom wok / pan and heat.

Ghee being heated in a wok

• When the ghee is hot lower the flame add in it cleaned and cut Tal Makhana and fry them to light brown color.

Tal Makhana being fried in ghee

fried Tal Makhana ready for milk to be added

• Add milk and bring the flame to high and cook with continuous stirring till the milk comes to boil.

Milk added to Tal Makhana

Tal Makhana and milk mixture coming to boil 

•  Lower the flame and cook with occasional stirring (to make sure the Makhana is nit settling at the bottom and getting burnt) for 30-40 min.

Tal Makhana cooking in milk on low flame after

• The Makhana will start getting softened up and will start getting mixed in the milk, thus thickening the consistency of the mixture.

• After of almost 40 min. cooking the contents of the wok will reduce to less than half and the mixture will become of thick soup consistency and the color of the mixture gains pink tint.

Stage when sugar and dry fruits are to be added

• Add sugar to the cooked milk and makhana mixture and mix nicely.

• Cook for another 5 min. and switch off the gas.

• Add finely cut Almonds, Cashew nuts and raisins.

• Mix nicely.

• Add Kesar and milk mixture and stir nicely.

• Remove the peel from soaked almonds and break them to two parts.

• Take out in a serving bowl and decorate with soaked halves of Almonds, cashew and raisins.

Talmakhana Kheer {Astercantha (Hygrophila) dessert}

• Serve hot or chill the kheer and serve cold.

Tips:

• Make sure that if there is any hard brown color cover on Tal Makhana, then it should be removed.

• Tal makhana should be fried in low flame else they will become black and burnt.

• Stirring of kheer during cooking is very important as it will prevent settling at the bottom and getting burnt.

• If you want to serve the kheer cold then keep the consistency of kheer thinner than you would like to serve ,because on cooling it will become thick.

Suggested Variations:

• Tal Makhana can be roasted in wok or in oven before adding to the milk, this will help avoiding the ghee in kheer.

• Toned milk can be taken instead of whole cream milk, but this reduces the creamy texture of kheer.

• Powder cardamom can be added to the kheer before serving.

• Kesar (saffron) dissolved in milk can be sprinkled on the to of the kheer .

• To make kheer quickly cook fried Tal Makahana in 1lt. milk and then add 200 gm milk made Concentrated milk available in market) and mix nicely. Cook for 2 min, add nuts and kesar.