Mango Phirni

Phirni/Firni is an exotic Indian dessert, a rice pudding to be precise which is made with milk, sugar and rice. I am posting our family favorite mango phirni. There are many variations to Phirni like Rose Phirni, Kesar Phirni or with fresh fruits like Mango, Strawberry or even chocolate Phirni!!

It’s very similar to the rice payasam/kheer that we make. However, Kheer has more rice and less milk and Phirni has just few tsps of rice and plenty of milk. Also it has a very cooling effect and helps to refresh and cool our body and mind in this scorching heat. As you can see , it is extremely pretty to look at and tastes delicious.

Drafting this post made me realize that this will be the last post coming from my office Laptop. I’ll be taking some time off from work and focus on finishing a few personal projects which I haven’t been able to find time for. Just got emotional thinking about the wonderful years I had with my job and how many great friends I have made.  Also dedicating this post to namma bengaluru for welcoming me with open hearts and making me believe in myself. Before I become too senti, lets read how easy it is to make this delicious desert.

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice – 2 heaped tsp
Mango puree- 1 cup
Milk – 4 cups
Condensed milk- 1/2 cup(Adjust according to the sweetness of the mango)
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
Almonds- Fistful
Chopped Mixed Nuts – for garnish

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain the water and grind this into a fine powder/paste. You can add little milk if you like it creamy and soft, I prefer having small granules of rice…so I just dry grind them coarsely. I have seen some people use store bought rice flour for this recipe. Somehow I feel basmati rice makes this more rich, but if you are in hurry you can always use rice flour directly.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk to a boil. Add the ground rice powder to this and mix well. Keep the flame low and stir continuously to avoid lumps and getting burnt. Add cardamom powder and let this simmer for few minutes. The small rice particles have to be cooked. Stirring continuously is the key here, so be patient.

Now add, almond paste, condensed milk and stir all the way just to be safe!! In about 10 minutes you should be able to see mixture semi thicken. Turn off flame and allow phirni to come to room temperature. Add the mango puree to the phirni mixture and mix well.

Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours at least to enjoy this desert. Once chilled pour them in the serving bowls and garnish with chopped almonds and cashews. You can also add some chopped mangoes on top of phirni while serving.

Ideally its served in an unglazed clay dish with a narrow base like a big diwali diya. if you have these use them for that authentic presentation or just use regular bowls.

Ta da, enjoy this chilled desert with your family on a sunny afternoon and relish the goodness of mangoes.