Sabudana Kheer

Ingredients

• Moti Sago – ½ cup
• Water – 2 cups
• Full-fat milk – 4 cups, preferably warm
• Sugar – ½ cup or to taste
• Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp
• Saffron – a pinch, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk, optional
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Cashews and almonds – 2 tbsp, sliced
• Raisins – 1 tbsp

Method

1. Rinse the sago several times until the drained water is almost clear. This method cooks it first in water, so no long soaking is required.
2. Put the rinsed sago and 2 cups water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to a gentle boil, then cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring every minute or two so the pearls do not settle and stick.
3. After about 6 to 10 minutes the pearls will swell and begin turning translucent. Press or taste one: it must be soft with no hard or chewy white centre before milk is added. Add a little hot water and continue cooking if necessary.
4. Pour in the warm milk gradually while stirring. Keep the heat low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the base and sides of the pan.
5. When the pearls are fully translucent and the milk looks lightly creamy, add sugar. Stir until dissolved, then simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Adding sugar only after the sago softens prevents delayed cooking.
6. Add cardamom and optional saffron milk. Keep the kheer slightly thinner than the final consistency because it thickens considerably while cooling.
7. In a small pan, heat ghee and roast the nuts until pale golden. Add raisins and switch off as soon as they puff. Stir this garnish into the kheer.
8. Serve warm or chilled. If chilled kheer becomes too thick, loosen it with a little cold milk before serving; do not dilute it before it has cooled.