Cantaloupe Rice Pudding
Cantaloupe Rice Pudding, also known as kheer, is a delicious gluten free dessert that will complement any main dish. The sweetness of the cantaloupe balances nicely with the nutty flavor of almonds and cashews. This is a must try and comes out as a healthier option by incorporating fruits within the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Rice
- 3 Cups Milk
- 1 Tbsp Almonds, blanched
- 1/4 Cup Thick puréed cantaloupe
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1/8 Tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1 Tbsp Chopped cashew nuts / Pecans
Instructions
- Cook rice with twice the amount water until its well cooked and mushy. Meanwhile blanch the almonds and grind it in a mixer into a smooth paste.
- Heat a pan and add the puréed almonds. Sauté it in a medium flame until the raw taste goes off.
- Bring milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Simmer it and keep stirring constantly. Once the milk reduces and thickens, add the cooked rice and the puréed cantaloupe, almonds and sugar.
- Keep stirring until it reaches a pudding consistency; thick and creamy.
- Roast the cashews in a Tbsp of ghee and add it.
Serving
- Keep it in the refrigerator for an hour or so and serve it chilled.
Notes
Additional Notes
- You can also cook rice with half the amount water and half milk. This gives it a nice creamy taste.
- The cinnamon powder can also be substituted with cardamom powder. This will yield a slightly different taste.
- According to the cantaloupe's sweetness, reduce or increase the amount of sugar mentioned.
- Keep in mind that adding too much of cantaloupe can overpower the taste of pudding. Minimum quantity will be enough to get its flavour and essence. Always you can add a bit extra if you want.
- Since the mount of almond is little, you can skip this step and add the almond paste directly in the milk along with cantaloupe purée. I did it separately, just in case if it needed more time to cook.