Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Cardamom Kheer with Rhubarb Puree & Carom Seed Crumble
Cardamom Kheer with Rhubarb Puree & Carom Seed Crumble ()

Cardamom Kheer with Rhubarb Puree & Carom Seed Crumble

Vegetarian

A creamy cardamom-scented Indian rice pudding served with tart rhubarb purée and a buttery carom-seed crumble. It is rich and sweet, with a crisp, lightly toasted topping.

Ground cardamom for the kheer

10 gStirred into the rice and milk before cooking (step 2)
01
Ground cardamom · Elaichi powder
10 g5 teaspoons
spice
Keep ground; it goes into the saucepan with the rice and milk.

Carom seed for the crumble

4 gStirred into the crumble mix before baking (step 8)
01
Carom seed · Ajwain
4 g2 teaspoons
spice
Keep whole; stir into the crumble mixture.

Everything else

01
Basmati rice · Basmati Chawalwashed and drained
400 g
grain
02
Whole milk · Doodh
1034 g1 l
dairy
03
Double cream · Malai
497 g500 ml
dairy
04
Jaggery · Gurgrated
300 g
sweetener
05
Caster sugar · Boora
to taste
sweetener
06
Rhubarbchopped
300 g
vegetable
07
Sugar syrup · Chashni
377 g300 ml
sweetener
08
Unsalted butter · Safed Makhancubed
100 g
dairy
09
Plain flour · Maida
200 g
flour
10
Caster sugar · Boora
50 g4 tablespoons
sweetener

Method

  1. Put 400 g basmati rice in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave for 30 minutes. Drain well.
  2. Tip the drained rice into a saucepan with 1034 g whole milk and the ground cardamom for the kheer. Heat gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the rice has taken up the milk.
  3. Stir in 497 g double cream and 300 g grated jaggery. Add caster sugar to taste; the mixture should taste quite sweet.
  4. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
  5. In another pan, poach 300 g chopped rhubarb in 377 g sugar syrup over low heat for about 10 minutes, until soft.
  6. Strain the rhubarb, then blend to a smooth purée.
  7. For the crumble, rub 100 g cubed unsalted butter into 200 g plain flour and 50.4 g caster sugar until the mix looks like coarse crumbs.
  8. Stir in the carom seed for the crumble. Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet.
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly toasted.
  10. Spoon the hot kheer into bowls, add the rhubarb purée and finish with the carom seed crumble.

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Basmati rice
  • Plain boiled rice

    Use 2.5 times the weight if substituting pre-cooked rice. Fold in gently at the end of the recipe; grains will be shorter and less fragrant.

Whole milk
  • Milk

    Use 100% of the weight. If using semi-skimmed milk, stir in 10 g butter per 200 g milk to match the richness of whole milk.

  • Single cream

    Use 60% cream diluted with 40% water by weight to match the fat content of whole milk. Gravies will taste richer and reduce faster.

Ground cardamom
  • Cardamom seed

    Grind the same weight; remove the pods first for a cleaner, stronger powder.

  • Green cardamom pod seed

    Grind the same weight of the seeds from green pods; discard the husks for the best flavour.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use the same weight; it is the same spice and works directly.

Double cream
  • Heavy cream

    Use the same weight; whips and cooks almost identically.

  • Single cream

    Use the same weight in cooking, but it will not whip; reduce other liquid slightly.

  • Clotted cream

    Use 80% of the weight; richer and thicker, good for serving but not for whipping.

Jaggery
  • Granulated sugar

    Use 80% of the weight. Granulated sugar is sweeter by weight, but gives a cleaner, one-dimensional sweetness that lacks jaggery's caramel, molasses depth.

  • Raisin

    Soak and blend into a paste; use 100% to 120% of the weight. Adds rich, natural, fruity sweetness with complex, dark molasses notes that thicken the gravy.

Caster sugar
  • Granulated sugar

    Use the same weight. It is slightly coarser, so stir a little longer to dissolve; in baking, grind briefly if a fine texture matters.

  • Demerara sugar

    Use the same weight, but dissolve it earlier as it is coarser. It adds a light caramel note and a little colour.

  • Ground jaggery or soft brown sugar

    Use the same weight; crush or grate jaggery first. It darkens the dish and adds molasses flavour, so reduce other liquid slightly.

Rhubarb
  • Green apple

    Use the same weight, peeled and sliced. It is tart but less stalk-like, and softens faster, so check after 10 minutes.

  • Gooseberry

    Use the same weight. It is very tart and juicy, so add sugar gradually and cook briefly to keep some texture.

  • Ripe plum

    Use the same weight. It is sweeter and less tart, so reduce sugar and add lemon juice if the dish needs acidity.

Sugar syrup
  • Granulated sugar

    For 100 g syrup, heat 60 g granulated sugar with 40 g water until dissolved. Same sweetness, slightly thinner.

  • Golden syrup

    Use the same weight; it is richer and slightly sweeter, so reduce other sugar a little.

  • Honey

    Use 85–90% of the weight and add a splash of water; flavour changes and it browns faster.

Unsalted butter
  • Ghee

    Use 80% to 85% of the weight. Delivers rich dairy flavour without the milk solids or moisture; watch the heat as it cooks hotter.

  • Butter

    Use equal weight, but reduce the recipe's added salt by approximately 1.5% of the weight of butter used.

Plain flour
  • Whole wheat flour

    Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.

  • Rice flour

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.

  • Cornflour

    For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

Carom seed
  • Carom seeds

    Use the same weight; this is the same seed under its other name.

  • Carom seed paste

    Use the same weight; looser and stronger, so add near the end and taste.

  • Cumin seed

    Use half the weight, lightly crushed; gives a warm aroma but not carom's thyme-like punch.

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Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle
Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle tastes floral and creamy with a tart rhubarb note and a nutty sesame crunch, while this dish tastes rich and sweet with cardamom, tart rhubarb purée and a buttery carom-seed crumble.
  • Same: Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle shares with this dish the use of rhubarb, double cream and sugar in an Indian-style dairy dessert with a crisp topping.
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Sheer Birinj tastes richer, denser, floral and nutty, while this dish tastes sweet and cardamom-scented with tart rhubarb and a crisp buttery topping.
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  • Different: Sheer Birinj uses khoya, ghee, clotted cream, cashew paste, kewra or rosewater, almonds and pistachios, while this dish uses jaggery, double cream, rhubarb purée and a butter-flour-caramom-seed crumble; Sheer Birinj lacks the tart rhubarb and crisp crumble.
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South Indian Kheer tastes rich, sweet and aromatic with coconut, saffron and fried nuts, while this dish is cardamom-creamy and sweet with tart rhubarb and a crisp, lightly toasted crumble.
  • Same: South Indian Kheer and this dish are both creamy, sweet rice puddings made with basmati rice, milk, cardamom and jaggery.
  • Different: South Indian Kheer uses coconut milk, butter, cashews, pistachios, raisins and saffron, while this dish uses double cream, rhubarb purée, sugar syrup, plain flour, caster sugar and a carom-seed crumble topping.
Phirni
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Phirni is delicately sweet and floral, with a smooth custard-like body and crunchy nuts. This dish is richer and sweeter, with cardamom warmth, tart rhubarb and a crisp buttery topping.
  • Same: Phirni and this dish are both creamy Indian rice puddings made with milk and sugar. Both are sweet desserts with a soft, spoonable texture.
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