Braj Bal Mithai Kheer

Name: Braj Bal Mithai Kheer
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Braj
Ingredients: 100 g makhana (fox nuts); 1 litre Full fat milk; 80 g Sugar; 1 tbsp Ghee; 0.5 tsp green cardamom powder; 0.25 g saffron strands; 2 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachios

A creamy milk pudding made with roasted fox nuts (makhana), gently sweetened and scented with cardamom and saffron, a favourite temple-town sweet from the Braj region.

🇮🇳India· Uttar Pradesh

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 230 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 7 gathered

Servings

100 g makhana (fox nuts)
1 litre Full fat milk
80 g Sugar
1 tbsp Ghee — for roasting makhana
½ tsp green cardamom powder
¼ g saffron strands — soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
2 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachios — for garnish

Equipment

•Heavy-bottomed pan
•Ladle

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 230 kcal
fat: 9 g
carbs: 28 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 7 g
calories: 230 kcal

Instructions

1
Heat ghee (clarified butter) in a heavy pan. Roast the makhana (fox nuts) on low heat until crisp and lightly golden, then set aside.
2
Roughly crush about a third of the roasted makhana. Keep the rest whole.
3
Bring the milk to a boil in the same pan. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.
4
Add the crushed and whole makhana to the simmering milk.
5
Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. Stop when the milk thickens and the makhana softens.
6
Stir in the sugar, cardamom powder and saffron milk. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
7
Adjust sweetness to your taste. Remove the kheer (milk pudding) from heat once creamy and slightly thick.
8
Garnish with chopped almonds and pistachios. Serve warm or chilled.

Chef's tips

Roasting the makhana well before adding it to the milk keeps some pieces pleasantly crunchy even after simmering. The kheer thickens further as it cools, so remove it from heat while still slightly thinner than desired.