– That’s literally how my face looks right now from the excitement of Eid being tomorrow!!! It’s still bright daylight outside but our “chaand raat” activities have already started. Getting our Eid outfits ready, planning to get our mehndi done, and MOST importantly, making dessert for Eid morning. Being desi, I usually make sawaiyaan every year, but I wanted to change it up this year (nothing too drastic, I didn’t wanna freak out my desi family) so I decided to make Firni instead.
Firni is a classic dessert that hails from the Indian sub-continent. It is very similar to kheer, except it is made with ground-up rice and tastes a bit lighter. My first introduction to Firni was at a Persian restaurant. The coolness and smooth flavor won me over and I could not stop eating it. I was determined to learn how to make it myself and now make it pretty regularly and the best part is it’s surprisingly easy and quick to make!
There are many different variations of this dessert. Afghanis use cornstarch instead of rice to thicken the pudding. Persians tend to use rice flour. Here we make a classic Pakistani style Firni with ground up rice. It’s the perfect dessert to have before Eid salah because it’s so light and refreshing!
- 5 cups whole milk
- 3 Tbsp basmati rice
- 2 tsp rose water
- Few strands of saffron
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- sugar to taste
- Wash and rise rice. Soak it in water for at least 30 minutes. Use a magic bullet or blender to blend to a smooth paste. You may need to add water if necessary.
- Boil milk in a heavy bottom stainless steel pan for about five minutes. Then add your rice paste and whisk until smooth.
- After the milk has reduced a bit, add sugar, saffron, and rose water. Keep stirring and cook for about 10-15 minutes until rice has cooked.
- Once the firini has a pudding-like consistency, add cardamom powder and mix.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool in serving bowls.
- Serve chilled. Garnish with ground pistachios.
I wish i saw this before eid! I was looking for a good recipe for this , im so glad you posted it! Will try it this week iA!