Rice Pudding/Kheer

# of servings:  4
Preparation Time:  5 mins	Cook Time:  30 mins

No need to buy packaged dessert cups.  This very popular dessert takes barely any time to make.  When cooked like this, one can get the result like in a slow cooker, yet without having to watch the pot!  

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 0.5 cup for pudding (or) 0.25 cup for kheer (any fragrant kinds work best)
• Sugar - 0.5 cup
• Milk (or) Vegan Milk - 4.5 cups
• Cashews - 15 (optional)
• Cardamom - 3 pods
• Saffron - 1 pinch
• Nutmeg - 1 pinch (optional)
• Ghee - 2-3 tsp  

Method:

• Wash rice and keep aside
• Break the cashews as desired (if using)
• In a thick bottom vessel, melt ghee with low flame
• To that, add the broken cashews and roast until they start changing color
• Scoop them out into a cup and set aside (If not using cashews, just grease the bottom of the vessel with a couple tsp of ghee)
• To the same greased vessel, add washed rice, sugar, milk, cardamom powder, saffron and nutmeg (if using)
• Mix everything well and pressure cook ('Porridge' mode in IP for 20 minutes)
• Let the pressure release naturally
• Add the roasted cashews and mix well
• Mix well and serve hot (or) cold, as per preference

Tips and Tricks:

• Using 0.25 cups of rice (instead of 0.5) makes it more runny, like Kheer, with a drinkable consistency
• Using fragrant types of rice like basmati will give a nice aroma to the dessert
• Roasting the cashews in the cooking vessel will grease the bottom of the vessel.  Hence it prevents the pudding/kheer from getting burnt or sticking to the bottom of the vessel
• The mode of cooking as well as the saffron give a beautiful pink hint to the end result
• Nutmeg should be used carefully.  Just a hint is enough to add a delightful fragrance as well as taste.  But in larger quantities, it can cause sleepiness and other side effects

Pictures: 

Final Outcome: