 A bowl of kheer | |
| Alternative names | ksheeram, doodhpak, meetha bhat (sometimes misunderstood as mayasam) |
|---|---|
| Type | Pudding |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | North Asia |
| Main ingredients | Rice, milk, sugar,cardamom,jaggery,saffron,pistachios oralmonds |
| Variations | Barley kheer, kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk),payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer) |
| 249 kcal (1043kJ) | |
Kheer is apudding orporridge 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).[1]
The wordkheer is derived from theSanskrit wordkshira (क्षीर), which meansmilk or a milk-based dish.[2][3] Kheer is also the archaic name for sweetrice pudding.[4]
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).[5]
It is said to have originated initially in South India thousands of years ago. The story is titled "The Legend of Chessboard" inKerala, an old sage in the form of Krishna challenged the king of Ambalapuzha (chess enthusiasts) to play chess. To motivate the sage, the king offered anything that the sage would name. The sage modestly asked just for a few grains of rice but under one condition: the king has to put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every subsequent one.
Lord Krishna (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 his temple there. TheAmbalapuzha Krishna temple still follows this and it is located in Kerala's Alappuzha district.[6]
According to the food historianK. T. Achaya, kheer orpayasam, as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish inancient 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.Payasam was also a stapleHindu temple food, in particular, and it is served asPrasāda to devotees intemples.[7]
