 A bowl of kheer | |
| Alternative names | ksheeram, doodhpak, meetha bhat (sometimes misunderstood as mayasam) |
|---|---|
| Type | Pudding |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | Ancient India |
| Main ingredients | Rice, milk, sugar,cardamom,jaggery,saffron,pistachios oralmonds |
| Variations | Vermicelli (semiya) kheer,Barley kheer, kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk) payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer) |
| 249 kcal (1,040 kJ) | |
Kheer,khir, payesh, fenni orpayasam is apudding orporridge (specificallyrice pudding) popular in theIndian subcontinent, usually made by boilingmilk,sugar orjaggery, andrice. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts,cardamom andsaffron. Instead of rice, it may containcracked wheat, vermicelli (sevai),sago ortapioca (sabudana).[1]
In Northern India, it is made in various ways. The most popular versions are the ones made with rice andvermicelli (semiya).[2] In Nepal, it tends to be thicker and uses fewer ingredients.[3]
The wordkheer is derived from theSanskrit wordkshira (क्षीर), which meansmilk or a "milk-based dish".[4][5] Kheer is also the archaic name for sweetrice pudding.[6]
The wordpayasam used inSouth India for kheer originates from theSanskrit termpāyasa (पायस), which means "milk" or a dish made from milk. This term evolved into various regional languages, includingMalayalam (പായസം, pāyasaṁ),Telugu (పాయసం, pāyasaṁ), andTamil (பாயசம், pāyacam).[7]
A story fromKerala titled "The Legend of Chessboard", holds that an old sage, who wasKrishna in disguise, challenged the king ofAmbalapuzha (chess enthusiasts) to a game. To motivate the sage, the king offered anything the old man would name. The sage modestly asked for a few grains of rice but with one condition: the king must put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every subsequent one.
Krishna, as the sage, won the game and the king started placing the grains. As he stacked them, he was shocked to see the number grow exponentially. In the end, the number came up to trillions. Krishna reveals himself and asks the king to provide kheer to every pilgrim who comes to what is now theAmbalapuzha Krishna Temple in theAlappuzha District, which still follows this command.[8]
According to the food historianK. T. Achaya, kheer (orpayasam, as it is known in South India) was a popular dish inancient India. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar.Payasam was also a staple food inHindutemples in particular, where it is served asPrasāda to devotees.[9]
