Desserts and rainy days

Nature, apparently, waited for the Spring to start to unleash the rain on us. It's a good thing I love rain. The touch of cold that returned with it was nice also, giving us one last chance to shake hands with the cool winter.

Have you got that one recipe for cloudy days that need just a bit of warming up? Kheer is mine. There is something about its divine blend of aromas, its warmth, and its milky texture with just the right touch of crunch that makes my soul. . . whole.

I learned of it years ago from a friend's mother. She made it just the way Indian mothers do, and the way I probably never will, although this version comes close. That impossibility is what draws me to this recipe over and over again, like a search for the Holy Grail, a journey closer and closer to the unattainable perfection of the Indian lady's masterpiece. And rainy days are just perfect for it.

Cozied up under the blanket with a bowl of warm kheer in my hands, I find myself bidding goodbye to winter and gazing with yearning to the approaching spring on the horizon.

Kheer ili južnoazijski puding (ili za moje nepce savršen spoj aroma) sam prvi put jela kod prijateljeve mame, Indijke. To je jedna od ljepših strana života u Americi: upoznaš ljude iz svih krajeva svijeta koji ti dio svoje kulture najčešće ponude upravo na tanjiru. Od tada još nikad nisam uspjela ponoviti njeno remek djelo, iako strpljivo pokušavam.

U hladnim i kišnim danima, sad već tradicionalno se grijem miješajući toplo mlijeko i rižu, dok se miris kardamoma širi kućom. Tako sam ispratila i ovu zimu; iskoristila neke od posljednjih hladnih dana da se prisjetim toplote jedne Indijke koja nam nakon začinjenog jela servira po zdjelicu kremastog pudinga, nesvjesna da će joj moje nepce biti zauvijek zahvalno. Hrana ima tu magičnu moć, zar ne? Veže nas za neke ljude, dogadjaje, iskustva.

Dovoljan razlog da učim i pišem o njoj.

KHEER (South Asian rice pudding)

Ingredients

2 cups coconut milk
2 cups plain milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cups Basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
1/4 cup peeled, chopped pistachios
1/8 cup chopped Iranian raisins (optional)
zest of 1 lemon


Method

Mix coconut milk, regular milk, and sugar in a large saucepan, and let boil. Add rice. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for around 20 minutes until rice is soft and tender.

Stir in cardamom and rosewater, and remove from heat. Add almonds, half of pistachios and raisins, if using. Serve warm or chilled, sprinkled with the remainder of pistachios and lemon zest.

*****

JUŽNOAZIJSKI puding od riže

Sastojci

2 mjerice kokosovog mlijeka
2 mjerice kravljeg ili rižinog mlijeka
3 kašike šećera
1/2 mjerice Basmati riže (dugo zrno)
1/2 kašičice mljevenog kardamoma
1/2 kašičice ružine vode (po zelji)
1/4 mjerice oguljenog, narezanog badema (kratko proprženog)
1/4 mjerice oguljenih, nasitnjenih svježih pistacija
1/8 mjerice nasitnjenih iranskih groždjica (po želji)
naribana korica jednog limuna


Priprema

Pomiješajte kokosovo mlijeko, kravlje/rižino miljeko i šećer, i prokuhajte smjesu. Dodajte rižu i kuhajte nepokriveno na niskoj temperaturi, oko 20 minuta. Smjesa ce postati gušća a riža ce omekšati.

Umiješajte kardamom i ružinu vodicu, i sklonite sa toplote. Dodajte bademe i groždjice, kao i dio pistacija. Preostalim pistacijama i naribanim limunom ukrasite servirani puding. Servirajte toplo ili sasvim ohladjeno. Ako nakon hladjenja puding bude zgusnut, dodajte još mlijeka.