Hasinaye Kheer/चावल की खीर ( Kheer sweetened with Date Jaggery)

Hasinaye Kheer

Kheer is a dessert made in Asian continent as well as Middle East. In India Making Kheer varies from east to west and North to South. In Southern part of India Kheer is commonly made with rice/sewai (vermicelli)/Sabudana in milk and coconut milk. In Northern India it is made in milk either with rice or sewai. But almost everywhere sugar is added as sweetener. The Kheer made in West Bengal India is definitely different as the sweetener added is Date Jaggery. Date jaggery gives a wonderful flavor to the kheer. Due to its wonderful looks and delectable taste I call it Hasinaye Kheer. This kheer is special to me as it evokes the childhood memories of Durga puja when we used to get to eat as much gud ki kheer as we wanted in Durga puja fest.

Date jaggery is unrefined sweetener thus all nutrients are intact in it unlike sugar which is refined sweetener. Thus it not only adds flavor but makes the kheer rich in Iron and many micro nutrients.

Preparation Time: 5 min.

Cooking Time: 90 min

Servings: 8 large helpings

Ingredients Required for Making Kheer with Date Jaggery:

• 50 gm. Rice

• 2-3 lt. Full Cream Milk

• 150 gm. date Jaggery

• 10-15 Almonds

• 10-15 cashew nuts

• 4-5 Strings of Saffron (Kesar)(Optional)

• 3-4 Green Cardamom (Optional)

• 10-12 Pistachios (Optional)

• 10-12 Raisins (Optional)

Directions For Making Hasinaye Kheer:

• Wash and soak the rice in 100 ml of water.

Rice being soaked

• Dissolve the Date jaggery in 150 ml.water at room temperature and then heat the date jaggery and water solution till it boils.

• Cool to room temperature and keep aside.

Khajur gud (Date jaggery) and water solution boiled and cooled

• Cut Cashew nuts, Almonds and Pistachios to small pieces.

• Remove the green peel of green cardamom and grind the seeds to coarse powder.

• Take milk in a thick bottom wok /pan and heat it on high flame till it boils.

 Milk for boiling for Kheer

 Milk boiled and ready for soaked rice to be added

• Add soaked rice with water in the boiling milk.

Rice added to boiled milk

• Cook with regular stirring till the milk starts boiling again.

Rice being cooked in milk

• Reduce the flame and cook on low flame with occasional stirring till the rice gets cooked and mixes with the milk making the consistency of milk rice mixture to pourable thickness. It will take approximately 70-80 min.

Rice and milk mixture getting thickened and becoming homogenous (50 min. cooking on low flame)

Rice and milk mixture after 70 min. of cooking on low flame

• Switch off the gas.

Thick rice and milk mixture ready for Khajur gud (Date jaggery) to be added

• Add the dissolved date jaggery and mix nicely.

• Add Almonds, Cashew nuts and pistachios and mix.

Date jaggery, Nuts and Raisins added to Kheer

•  Add powdered green cardamom and mix.

• Heat it  if you like hot kheer. Do not boil again.

• Take out in a serving bowl and decorate with almonds, pistachios.

Hasinaye Kheer

• If you like chilled kheer then place the serving bowl with kheer in fridge for 2-3 hrs.

• Serve hot or cold as per your liking.

Oh ! so tempting Let us enjoy Hasinaye Kheer

  My favorite combination Ajwain puri with Hasinaye Kheer.

Tips:

• Do not soak the jaggery in hot milk.

• Basmati or broken basmati rice gives the best result.

• The amount of Jaggery can be increased according to individual taste.

• If your container is not big enough for 2-3 Lt. milk then take as much milk initially according the size of your container and keep on adding once the liquid content reduce creating space in the wok.

• More the milk taken tastier the Kheer will be.

Suggested Variations:

• Rice can be replaced with 50 gm. Tal Makhana. Then the kheer can also be taken during fasting when cereals are not taken.

• Raisins can be added along with other nuts. 
• Incase Date jaggery is not available then sugar cane jaggery (Gud) can be taken, though the flavor of kheer will not be same as with Khajoor gud, but gud as sweetening agent is certainly different, tastier and healthier than sugar.

Gulab Jamun/गुलाब जामुन

Delicious and Soft Gulab-Jamun

 Gulab jamun may be extremely high in calory but nothing compared to dark brown juicy Gulab Jamun. Be it Days of my children Holi or deepawali Like a king gulab jamun would make it appearance on the table because it is favorite of my children. They simply refuse to eat it if i bring from market. It has to be made by me with fresh Khawa only. So go ahead and pamper and spoil once in a while your kids and family members

Preparation Time:40min. ( approximately)
Cooking Time:60mni.
Servings: Makes 30 medium size Gulab Jamun.

Ingredients required

• 500gm. (3 Tea Cups) Khawa  (milk thickened to solid state)]
• 150gm.(1 Cup )Maida (refined flour) ]
• 500 gm.Sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds crushed 
• 4 Cups Water 
•  Ghee / Cooking oil for frying

Directions to prepare Gulab Jamun

• Take 500-600 ml.of water in a thick bottom pan. 
• Add 500gm. of sugar to it and heat on high flame with continuous stirring.
• When the mixture starts boiling then reduce the flame to minimum and let it boil till it becomes of syrupy thickness (the quantity of water should reduce to half). 
• Add 1/4 tea spoon of crushed cardamom to the above mixture, switch off the gas, cover and allow to cool.
• Take khawa and maida in a pan. 
• Mix them thoroughly and knead.
• Add 2 tea spoon thick curd and knead to fine smooth dough.
• The dough should be soft and uniform. Continuously mashing and kneading for 15 min. will yield a soft and uniform dough.
• Mix 2 Tea spoons of sugar and 1/2 Tea spoon of cardamom.and keep aside for filling.
• Make small round balls of the dough (roughly 30-40 balls ).
• Press the ball of dough from center to make a depression and fill pinch of sugar and cardamom mixture in it. 
• Press the ends nicely to seal the ball with the mixture inside the ball firmly.
• Roll the ball into a round shape with gentle hands, make sure no air is trapped inside the ball.

Khawa maida dough for Gulab jamun and The balls of the Dough

• Heat Ghee / oil in a thick bottom wok and when ghee / oil is smoking hot lower the flame.
• Put 4-5 balls one by one and fry them on low flame with continuous swirling motion of spatula till they are of dark brown color.

Khawa Balls Being Fried In hot Ghee on Low Flame

Fried Khawa Balls Ready to be Pricked and soaked in Sugar Syrup

• Take them out from wok and prick with toothpick and put into sugar syrup, give a swirling stir to the sugar syrup time to time with a gentle hand.

Fried Balls being pricked with tooth pick before soaking in sugar Syrup

Fried Khawa balls soaking in Sugar Syrup

• The balls will absorb sugar syrup and become larger in size and soft with in 30 min.
   

  

  Soft Yummy Mouth watering Gulab Jamun

• Take them out on a plate and sprinkle some coconut powder.Gulab jamun are ready to eat.

 Serve Gulab Jamun hot or cold as per liking. :)
Tips:

• The Khawa should be fresh and firm.

• Curd should be thick with out any watery liquid in it. 

• Press the balls of Khawa with soft hands and make sure air is not trapped in it.

• Sugar syrup should be hot when you add fried khawa balls in it.

Suggested Variation: 

• You can make them round or can give an oblong shape as per your liking.

• In the filling cardamom can be replaced by nutmeg powder.
• Kesar (Saffron) can be added to the sugar syrup once it is removed from gas.