Kheer
Kheer, also known as payasam, is a sweet dish and a type of wet pudding popular in the Indian subcontinent, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or jaggery, and rice, although rice may be substituted with one of the following: daals, bulgur wheat, millet, tapioca, vermicelli, or sweet corn. It is typically flavored with desiccated coconut, cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios, almonds, or other dry fruits and nuts, and recently pseudo-grains are also gaining popularity. It is typically served as a dessert.
 A bowl of kheer | |
| Alternative names | Payasam, Payesh and Ksheeram |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | South Asia |
| Main ingredients | Rice, milk, sugar, cardamom, jaggery, saffron, pistachios or almonds |
| Variations | Barley kheer, Kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk), payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer) |
| 249 kcal kcal | |
Etymology
The word kheer is derived from the Sanskrit word for milk, kshira (क्षीर). Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet rice pudding. The word pāyasam used in South Indian circles is related to the Sanskrit payas, 'rice'.
Origin
Kheer was a part of the ancient Indian diet.[1]
According to the food historian K. T. Achaya, kheer or payas, as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish in ancient India. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar, a formula that has endured for over two thousand years. Payas was also a staple Hindu temple food, in particular, and it is served as Prasāda to devotees in temples.[2]
References
- "Kheer: The Quintessential Indian Milk Affair". 27 July 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- "A truly international dessert". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2009.
