Badam Kheer / Almond Kheer

Badam kheer or Almond kheer is a refreshing, flavourful & delicious Indian dessert. The almond paste is cooked in milk along with saffron, cardamom and nutmeg. This nourishing Indian dessert can be served cold or warm depending on the climatic conditions.

Serving: 2 to 3 people

Ingredients:

Badam / Almonds	1/2 cup
Pistachio (optional)	2 tablespoon
Milk	3 cups
Sugar	1/2 cup or more
Cardamom powder	1/4 th tsp
Nutmeg	pinch
Saffron	few strands

Method:

1. Soak few strands of saffron in 1 to 2 tsp of warm milk.
2. Soak the badam / almonds and pistachios in warm water for about an hour. Before soaking the pistachios, remove the shells.
3. After about an hour, drain the water and remove the skin of badam /almonds. To easily remove the skin of badam, press the badam between fingers after soaking. The outer layer peels off easily if it is well soaked. If the skin does not peel off easily, then place the badam with water in microwave and heat it for about 2 to 3 minutes before removing the skin.
4. After draining the water and removing the skin, place the badam/almonds and pistachios in a mixer/ blender , add the saffron soaked in milk to this and grind it to a fine paste using 1/2 cup milk. Add more milk if needed. You should get a thick paste without any solid pieces.
5. In a pot, add the remaining milk (2 1/2 cups), add the almond / pistachio paste to the this. Stir well to get a uniform mixture. Now heat it in a stove in low flame, stirring every now and then with a ladle. There should not be any lumps. Cook for about 5 to 8 minutes until the raw flavours of almond and pistachio goes away.
6. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to this and stir well until all the sugar dissolves. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. The kheer I prepared is mildly sweet . If you prefer the kheer to be more sweet, add 1/4 th cup more sugar.
7. At this stage, you can add a pinch of food colour if needed. Since we added saffron, it gives a natural light golden yellow colour. For brighter colour, add food colour.
8. Switch off the stove. If you prefer, you can add finely chopped almond and cashew pieces on top before serving.
9. Serve it warm or cold after a scrumptious meal.

Notes:

1. This kheer can be prepared just with almonds. You can skip adding the pistachios if you prefer.
2. Instead of pistachios, you can substitute cashews.

Check out other payasam /sweet varieties

1. Pasiparuppu payasam