Category: Desserts

This Makhana Kheer recipe strikes the perfect balance between health and taste. Made with roasted makhanas (fox nuts) simmered in rich, creamy milk and flavored with saffron, cardamom, and dry fruits. It’s a comforting, nutrient-rich dessert that’s perfect for festivals like Navratri or for a cozy family treat.

Makhanas are rich in protein, calcium, and antioxidants, making this kheer not just delicious but also a great guilt-free dessert option. Whether served chilled or warm, this Phool Makhana Kheer is sure to win hearts at your dining table.

Preparation time – 20 minutes

Cook time – 40 minutes

Serves – 4 – 6 people

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2.5 cups makhana (fox nuts)
• ½ cup cashews
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1.5 litres full-fat milk
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp cardamom powder
• ¼ cup finely chopped almonds
• ¼ cup finely chopped pistachios
• 4–5 saffron strands
• ½ cup sugar
• 3–4 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachios [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed kadhai on medium-low flame.
2. Add the makhanas and roast them until they turn crisp and slightly golden. Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning.
3. Add cashews and continue roasting for another 2–3 minutes until they too turn golden.
4. Remove from heat and let them cool.
5. Once cooled, take half of the roasted makhanas and all the cashews and grind them into a fine powder.
6. Keep the rest of the makhanas whole for texture.
7. In the same kadhai, pour 1.5 litres of milk and bring it to a gentle boil.
8. Add the bay leaf and keep stirring to prevent sticking.
9. Add the makhana-cashew powder to the boiling milk and mix well.
10. Stir continuously on medium-low heat until it thickens slightly.
11. Add saffron strands, chopped almonds, and pistachios.
12. Mix in the remaining whole roasted makhanas and cardamom powder.
13. Let the kheer simmer until the milk reduces by about half.
14. Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
15. Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf.
16. Allow the kheer to cool — it will thicken further as it rests.
17. Garnish generously with chopped almonds and pistachios.
18. Refrigerate for 2–3 hours and serve chilled. [/directions]

🍯 Pro Tips

1. You can substitute sugar with jaggery or date syrup for a “no refined sugar” version.
2. For a richer flavour, add a tablespoon of condensed milk towards the end.
3. Always stir the kheer gently while boiling to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

🥄 Serving Suggestion

Serve this Makhana Kheer after a light meal, during festive celebrations, or as a wholesome dessert for fasting days. Its creamy texture and subtle sweetness make it a perfect treat for all ages.

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Related Recipe: Rice Kheer Recipe

Seviyan kheer is a common Indian dessert made on festive occasions like Diwali, Eid and others. It’s one of the easiest and most luxurious desserts that comes together so quickly. Every household has their own unique recipe of seviyan kheer. Mine is one which is thick and bursting with creaminess and flavours. The perfect seviyan kheer is a result of patience and the right proportions of ingredients.

Just like my rice kheer recipe, this seviyan kheer also follows the same ratio of seviyan (vermicelli) to milk. The seviyan or vermicelli should ideally be roasted. If you have the plain one, make sure you fry it in ghee and roast it a bit before you add it to the milk.

The consistency of this seviyan kheer is thick and creamy. As it cools down, it keeps getting thicker, so we stop the cooking process once it reaches a semi thick consistency. The seviyan kheer is cooked in a way that it never becomes lumpy, even when you freeze it. As for sweetness, it is just the right amount of sweet for a festive occasion. You can always add more or reduce the amount of sugar as per your preference.

Tips to Get the Perfect Consistency

Though this seviyan kheer recipe is extremely simple and minimal, it can only taste so good if you take care of a few technicalities. Let’s take a look.

1. Get the ratio right

The secret to a great kheer is the correct ratio of milk to rice. The amount of rice is very less and we let it slow cook and merge with the reducing milk. If you get the ratio right, there is no stopping you from creating the best rice kheer at home.

2. Use the best ingredients

Like every simple recipe using a handful of ingredients, this rice kheer recipe also calls for sourcing the best ingredients. Make sure you use really good variety of roasted vermicelli or seviyan. Use good quality ghee.

This recipe cannot be replaced with low fat milk. The milk has to be full fat to get that perfectly thick and creamy consistency of the rice kheer. Get your hands on the best quality full-fat milk for this recipe.

3. Mind the heat

Cooking the seviyan kheer at the optimal temperature is very important to get it right. Once the milk comes to a boil, the flame will keep oscillating between low to medium, but it will never touch high. The temperature needs to be checked and regulated throughout the cooking process you would not want the milk to stick or worse, burn at any point. Keeping the flame high will also make the milk evaporate faster than it should, and affect the final consistency of the kheer.

4. Use a heavy bottomed pan

Make sure you use a heavy bottomed pan like a heavy stainless steel pot or kadhai or a cast iron pot. This will ensure that the kheer does not burn and cooks uniformly.

4. Be patient

This is probably the most important virtue to have while making kheer. There are no shortcuts to making a good seviyan kheer. Nothing can match the taste and excellence of slow cooking. So you will have to have patience and give your undivided attention to this recipe for at least 30 minutes. The results will really be worth it, I promise.

Preparation time – 15 minutes

Cook time – 30 minutes

Serves – 3

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup roasted vermicelli/seviyan
• 1 litre full fat milk
• 7 tbsp sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• Chopped almonds for garnish
• Chopped pistachios for garnish
• Dried rose petals for garnish [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai and fry the cashews till golden brown. Set aside.
2. Saute the vermicelli or seviyan in the same kadhai for a minute. Set aside.
3. Heat milk in a kadhai or pot and let it come to a boil. Keep stirring to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom.
4. Once the milk starts to boil, add the fried seviyan. Keep stirring continuously on medium flame.
5. Add the bay leaf to the milk for enhanced flavour.
6. Keep stirring continuously to prevent sticking. Milk will start to thicken and turn creamy.
7. Once the milk is reduced by half and seviyan is cooked completely, add the sugar and mix well.
8. Once you reach the desired consistency as shown in the video, garnish with some cardamom powder and give it one last mix.
9. The final consistency should be a bit runny as the kheer will thicken as it gets cold.
10. Garnish with chopped pistachios, chopped almonds and dried rose petals. Enjoy warm or cold. [/directions]

I hope you try this delicious and fool-proof seviyan kheer this festive season. If you have any doubts, comments, or feedback, please reach out to me in comments or my social media handles.

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Happy cooking!

Kalakand is an easy and quick way to whip up a tasty Indian dessert in less time. Made with just a few ingredients, kalakand is very easy to make and tastes delicious! The recipe is made in two parts – first is splitting the milk and preparing the chenna. The second is boiling full fat milk, and reducing it to half. Then we mix the two parts till it turns into a creamy, luscious mix. Set to chill for a few hours and kalakand is ready! I love to serve this with a topping of condensed milk. It’s absolute heaven I tell you.

Kalakand is one of the most popular Indian sweets and is absolutely delicious. These soft, rich and creamy cakes of chhena wrapped in luscious thick rabdi with just the amount of sweetness and a slight crunch of sliced nuts will satiate your taste buds and leave you feeling happy and satisfied. This Kalakand recipe, unlike the traditional elaborated recipe which is long and time taking, is so easy to make and comes together in no time to give you that perfect desi dessert anytime the heart craves something sweet.

If this is your first time trying your hands at making mithai or you’re not very confident, this Kalakand recipe is the perfect way to begin. It is absolutely fool proof and you cannot go wrong with it. Once you make it, you won’t stop. I like to top my Kalakand after setting it for a while, with some condensed milk and it is absolute heaven I tell you!

Ingredients in Kalakand

Kalakand is basically made up of just two ingredients – Milk and Sugar. Rest everything is optional but is highly recommended to get that perfect mithai. Let’s talk about milk, the base of this delight:

Milk

Milk is solely the hero of this dish, just like almost all other Indian sweets, and every element of it is constituted of milk. It is extremely important to use full fat milk to get the perfect juicy and spongy chhena and the best, luscious and thick rabdi. Avoid using milk from tetra packs or low fat or skimmed milk as it will affect the texture of your chhena and in turn prevent you from getting the perfect Kalakand.

Tips to Get the Perfect Chhena Every Time

Making the perfect chhena can be a struggle sometimes. The crumbliness and softness of the chhena is a game changer and hence it is extremely important to make the perfect chhena for your Kalakand. The following tips will help you make that perfectly soft and crumbly chhena every single time.

• Always use full fat milk or whole milk to extract the maximum chhena out of the milk and make perfectly soft and spongy rasgullas. Avoid using milk from tetra packs or low fat or skimmed milk as it will affect the spongy texture of your rasgullas.
• Turn off the heat after the milk comes to a boil and then add your acidic ingredient. If the milk doesn’t start curdling, put it back on the stove and let it curdle.
• Add ice cold water or ice cubes to the milk once it has curdled to stop the curdling process. This helps you get the softest chhena ever.
• A perfectly drained chhena is very important. In order to test whether your chhena is perfect or not, smear a little portion of it on a smooth surface such as your kitchen countertop and check the consistency. For the perfect Kalakand we need a slightly crumbly yet soft chhena.

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 litre full fat milk – for the chhena
• 1 litre full fat milk – for the rabdi
• 3 tbsp lime juice or white vinegar
• ½ cup sugar 
• 10 – 12 strands of saffron
• Chopped pistachios – for garnish
• Chopped almonds – for garnish
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder  [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. In a deep pan, bring 1 litre full fat milk to a boil. 
2. Stir continuously and make sure the pan is heavy bottomed to prevent the milk from burning.
3. Once the milk comes to a boil, add in the lemon juice or white vinegar, one tbsp. at a time. 
4. Turn the flame off while stirring well in order to split the milk evenly.
5. Place the strainer over a big bowl and line it with a clean muslin cloth.
6. Pour the curdled milk on the lined strainer and stir to drain the excess liquid.
7. Wash the chhena with cold water.
8. Pick up and twist the muslin cloth to squeeze out the excess liquid.
9. Take out the well-drained chhena in a plate or a flat surface and disintegrate it gently with your fingers.
10.  Rest it aside.
11. In another clean deep pan, bring the other litre of full fat milk to a boil.
12.  Keep boiling while stirring continuously, scrapping the bottom and sides of the pan.
13. Boil the milk till it is reduced to half and attained a thick and creamy texture.
14. Once the milk has reduced to the desired consistency, add in the saffron strands.
15. Keep stirring continuously and allow the saffron to release its full flavour and colour into the mixture.
16. Now, add the sugar and mix well.
17. Add in the chhena that we set aside earlier to the reduced milk mixture.
18. Mix well and keep stirring in order to avoid burning.
19. Once you attain a thick rabdi consistency, take it off the heat.
20. Grease a rectangular tray evenly with ghee.
21. Transfer the Kalakand mixture on to the tray while it is still hot and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon
22. At this point, garnish with chopped pistachios and almonds and a few saffron strands.
23.  Sprinkle some cardamom powder on top for added flavour.
24. Place the tray in the fridge and let it set for at least 3 – 4 hours or more.
25. Once completely set, take out and cut into cubes of desired sizes and serve with some condensed milk topping to experience the utmost deliciousness. [/directions]

Make sure to try this recipe out for yourself and dig into the ultimate rich goodness of this decadent Indian delicacy. You are going to become a fan of this Kalakand.

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Any Indian festival is incomplete without a widespread variety of sweets. Rasmalai is one of the most popular classic Indian sweets – Soft, delicate and spongy chhena dunked in sweet, thick, creamy and flavoursome milk – it is nothing short of a dream.  Everyone loves Rasmalai. Opposed to how we think that making Rasmalai is a complex and elaborated process, it is actually extremely easy and requires only a handful of ingredients to not just replicate, but make better than the store bought version at home.

Rasmalai is a comfort soul food and all of us have our share of happy moments attached with it. I can’t stop but cherish my happy memories attached with this sweet. Rasmalai has always been my favourite mithai. Even though I never had a sweet tooth growing up, I could never say no to Rasmalai. The joy of biting into those soft and sweet sponges dipped in creamy, flavourful milk always made me happy. Rasmalai happens to be the favourite mithai of everyone in my family too. I remember those visits to mithai shops with my parents where we would always have a small kulhad of Rasmalai each. And every time we would exclaim how good it is. 

I would always find myself packing some for myself from a sweet shop, for that love of Rasmalai followed me even after I left home. But when I started making Rasmalai at home, there was no looking back. It’s very easy and this version tastes better than anything I have had all my life. And what better time than the festive season to share this recipe? Trust me, once you start making it yourself, you will get hooked and be amazed by how easy it is to curate such a delicacy. 

Ingredients in this Rasmalai

Only a handful of ingredients go into making this incredible mithai, however, each of them has their own significance. The key ingredient of this recipe is milk – solely. All the other ingredients are basically supporting actors in this dish.

Milk

Milk is without a doubt, the star ingredient of this recipe, as it is of most Indian sweets. In fact, milk is the single most important main ingredient of both the sponges as well as the broth. It is extremely important to use fresh full fat milk or whole milk for:

1. The sponges/rasgullas – to extract the maximum chhena out of the milk and make perfectly soft and spongy rasgullas. Avoid using milk from tetra packs or low fat or skimmed milk as it will affect the spongy texture of your rasgullas. 
2. The rabri – to make it thick and creamy.

Here’s the recipe:

Prep time – 20 minutes

Cook time – 30 minutes

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

For the sponges:

• 1 litre full fat milk
• 3 tbsp. lime juice or white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 litre water

For the rabri

• 1 litre full fat milk
• 2/3rd cup condensed milk
• 1 tbsp. chopped pistachios
• 1 tbsp. chopped almonds
• ¼ tsp. cardamom powder
• A few strands of saffron [/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

For the rabri:

1. In a large vessel, pour the milk.
2. Keep stirring to prevent from burning at the bottom and bring it to a boil.
3. After the first boil, add in the condensed milk and mix very well.
4. Add in the chopped almonds and pistachios.
5. Stir continuously and reduce the milk to half.
6. Keep scrapping off the sides and bottoms to retain the maximum cream in the broth.
7. Finish off by mixing in a few saffron strands and the cardamom powder into the reduced broth. 
8. Set it aside to cool down completely while we make the sponges.

For the sponges:

1. In a large vessel, pour the milk.
2. Stirring continuously, bring the milk to a boil.
3. Once the milk comes to a boil, add in the lime juice or white vinegar, one tbsp. at a time and take it off the heat.
4. Stir well to separate the milk solids (chhena) from the remnant water.
5. Place a strainer over a big bowl. 
6. Line the strainer with a clean muslin cloth.
7. Pour the curdled milk on the lined strainer and stir to drain the excess liquid.
8. Wash the chhena with cold water.
9. Pick up and twist the muslin cloth to squeeze out the excess liquid.
10.  Take the chhena out on a plate and knead for about 5 to 7 minutes or till your fingers start to turn oily. 
11.  Make even, equal sized, soft round balls. 
12.  To another pot, add the water and sugar and boil it till the sugar dissolves.
13. Then, cover and bring it to a roaring boil. 
14.  Once the sugar syrup start vigorously boiling, add in your chhena balls to it.
15.  Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes or till the rasgullas start floating on the surface of water.
16.  Take it off the heat.
17. Once it cools down, take one sponge ball at a time and squeeze between your palm and fingers gently to squeeze out excess water and give them a disc shape.
18.  Dunk the sponges in the broth of pour the broth all over them. 
19.  Chill in the fridge for a few hours before consumptions for the best taste! [/directions]

Tips to Make The Perfect Rasmalai

Making the perfect chhena can be a struggle sometimes. The sponginess and softness of the chhena is a game changer and hence it is extremely important to make the perfect chhena for your Rasmalai. The following tips will help you make that perfectly soft and spongy chenna every single time.

• Always use full fat milk or whole milk to extract the maximum chhena out of the milk and make perfectly soft and spongy rasgullas. Avoid using milk from tetra packs or low fat or skimmed milk as it will affect the spongy texture of your rasgullas.
• Turn off the heat after the milk comes to a boil and then add your acidic ingredient. If the milk doesn’t start curdling, put it back on the stove and let it curdle. 
• Add ice cold water or ice cubes to the milk once it has curdled to stop the curdling process. This helps you get the softest chhena ever.
• A perfectly drained chhena is very important. In order to test whether your chhena is perfect or not, smear a little portion of it on a smooth surface such as your kitchen countertop and check the consistency. If the chhena is too sticky, it still has whey in it and is not ready to be kneaded and needs to be hung and drained for a little longer, whereas if the chhena is too dry and crumbly, it has over-drained and need to be kneaded with wet/moist hands. The perfect chhena when smeared is non-sticky and grainy.
• Do not over-knead or over-boil the chhena. This results in getting hard and dense chhena.

I hope you’ll try this divine, soft, and creamy Rasmalai that melts into the mouth recipe for yourself and fall in love with it, just like I did. 

Feel free to reach out for feedbacks, suggestions or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for all my videos and upcoming recipes.