Pistachio Phirni (Rice Pudding)
Pistachio Phirni is a popular North Indian dessert. This is a delicious creamy eggless pudding. Phirni is made with rice, milk and sugar, and has wonderful creamy texture. Ingredients are the same as Rice Kheer but the taste is very different. This is an easy recipe to make.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup rice
- 3-1/4 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Few strings of saffron
- 6 cardamom pods shelled and crushed
- 1/4 cup pistachios
Instructions
- Wash rice and soak it for about half an hour.
- Drain the water. Blend rice to a fine texture adding few spoons of milk as needed to blend. Add about ¼ cup of milk to make a runny batter. Keep aside.
- Soak the pistachios in hot water for at least 10 minutes, while water is still warm drain the water and rub the pistachio with paper towel and remove the skin and dry them. Slice or crush the pistachios and keep aside.
- Boil the milk on heavy bottom pan over medium high heat; wet the pan before adding the milk to avoid the milk burning in bottom of the pan.
- After milk start to boil lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 12 minutes.
- 6. Add rice to the boiling milk slowly and keep stirring continuously, making sure rice does not become lumpy, milk will become thick. Let it boil for about 3-4 minutes stirring continuously.
- Next add the sugar, cardamom powder, saffron and pistachios save about 1 tablespoon of pistachios for garnishing.
- Let it boil for another 4-5 minutes over low medium heat while stirring continuously, it will be consistency of thick batter. Turn off the heat.
- Shift the Phirni to the serving bowl while it is still hot as Phirni start getting thick as it cools. Garnish with pistachios.
- Serve chill!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Didina
May 29, 2020 at 9:06 amI made this for a friend who can’t eat milk, so I used half coconut milk (the one in cans) and half rice milk, which is IMO the best blend to make a “milk” with a cow’s milk consistency and sweetness. Anyway I followed the recipe (subbing pistachios for almonds because that’s what I had) and it came out really good. It didn’t split. I know my friend will be delighted, and so will I lol. Thank you Manjula for always providing super recipes.
Rakhi Poonia
January 23, 2017 at 4:40 pmThank you for this recepie.
Rakhi Poonia
Ante
January 17, 2017 at 1:41 pmHello
Thank you very much for all your recipes I have just started looking into indian food and your site is really helpful.
Please if You can tell me how long can this rice pudding stay in the fridge. Thank you in advance
Manjula Jain
January 18, 2017 at 5:28 pmAnte, four to five days
Zena Herbert
October 12, 2013 at 10:55 amThank you for your generosity in giving us so many good recipes. I made this tonight and it is excellent. Thank you again.
Aditi
August 23, 2013 at 1:53 amNamaste,
Thank you for the recipe, I made it and it tasted divine!
My grinder gave trouble in finely grinding the rice, so I ended up using less of the paste so not sure if the consistency was right. After chilling, what should the consistency of Firni be, more thick (where you have to really scoop it out with a spoon) or more like creamy (gently coat a spoon and its thickly pours off) ?
Also can we use rice flour (store bought) for this and approx. how much quantity?
Thanks so much for your website, its one of the first places I come to for inspiration!
Regards,
Aditi
Manjula Jain
August 23, 2013 at 11:27 pmAditi,
If you use rice flour it becomes like pasty, phirni should be little grainy and it should gently coat a spoon and it’s thickly pours off.