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Thandai Phirni

Praneetha A Goutham
Thandai Phirni is a perfect dessert for Holi that is rich and has the flavours of the festival. It is made with basmati rice, milk, sugar, saffron and homemade thandai powder.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Servings 6
Calories 326 kcal

Ingredients
  

Note: 1 cup = 250 ml

    To make Thandai Powder

    • 10 numbers whole cardamom
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
    • 1/4 cup almonds
    • 1/4 cup cashews
    • 2 tbsp melon seeds - also known as Magaz/ Char Magaz
    • 1 tbsp poppy seeds - skip if unavailable
    • 2 tbsp dried rose petals - skip if unavailable

    To make Thandai Phirni

    • a big pinch (roughly a tsp) saffron strands
    • 1/4 cup Basmati Rice
    • 1 liter whole milk - full fat
    • 3/4 cup sugar - can add less or more as per your taste
    • 2 tsp rose water (essence)

    Instructions
     

    Making the Thandai Powder

    • Into a small mixer jar, add in 10 whole cardamom pods, 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, and 1 tbsp fennel seeds. Blend everything well to form a fine powder.
    • Into the ground spices, add in 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup almonds, 1 tbsp poppy seeds (if using), 2 tbsp melon seeds, 2 tbsp dry rose petals (if using).
      Blend all the ingredients well to form a fine powder. Stop at the stage where the oil from the nuts is starting to release and the mixture is turning sticky. A little sticky mixture is also fine since we would be mixing it in phirni anyway.

    Making the Thandai Phirni

    • Rinse and soak 1/4 cup Basmati rice in water for at least 15 minutes.
    • Once it has soaked well, discard the water, transfer the rice to the mixer jar. Pulse it to make a coarse paste. If required, you can add a few drops of water. But remember, the texture of the rice has to be coarse and grainy.
    • Heat 1liter full-fat milk in a big thick bottom pot. Let the milk come to a good boil.
    • In a small bowl, take a big pinch (little more than a tsp) of saffron strands, add 3 tbsp of hot milk and let it sit for some time.
    • Add some hot milk to the ground rice, mix well and then add this mixture to the pot with milk, and mix well quickly. This helps to avoid the formation of rice lumps. Keep the heat on low at this stage.
      In case small lumps are still formed, mash them with a back of a spoon.
    • Add in the saffron milk and mix it well. On low-medium heat, let the milk and rice mixture boil well such that the cream layer is collected on top. Mix in the cream back to the milk and let it boil for a good 20 minutes. The mixture will start thickening as the rice cooks.
    • At this stage mix in a few tablespoons of water to the prepared Thandai powder, make a thin paste and transfer this to the pot of milk making sure it is on low heat.
    • Immediately, also add in 3/4 cup sugar and mix everything well. You can do it with the help of a whisk.
      Let the phirni be on low heat for 5 more minutes. It gets much thicker now with the addition of the Thandai powder.
    • Lastly, mix in 2 tsp of rose water. You can add more if you had not used dried rose petals in the powder.
    • Take the pot of phirni off the heat and do not cook further. It should be of thick but pouring consistency. Remember, it will turn much thicker on cooling.
    • If you have small earthen pots, transfer the phirni into those and let them set in the refrigerator for an hour. Serve it chilled.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 326kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 67mgPotassium: 422mgFiber: 3gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 276IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 270mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Thandai Phirni
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