Punjabi besan ki kheer recipe - an easy to prepare, delicious, wholesome sweet dish for Diwali - dark chickpea flour dates kheer/kale chane ki atte ki kheer.
30grampunjabi besan(kala chana atta or black chickpeas flour) or ¼ cup punjabi besan
1teaspoonGhee(you may add oil if you prefer but ghee brings a better flavor)
20 to 30gramsjaggeryor 2 to 4 tablespoon jaggery
2cupsskimmed milk(low-fat milk), add more if desired
½teaspooncardamom powder(choti elaichi powder)
¼ to ½teaspoonnutmeg powder(jaiphal powder)
4almonds(badam) - sliced
4pistachios(pista) - sliced
Instructions
Firstly, soak 60 grams of dates in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. If they happen to be very hard, they may need to be soaked in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile powder the cardamom and slice the nuts. Powder/grate the jaggery. Keep these ready.
Once the soaked dates are softer, drain the soaked dates and grind to a smooth paste adding ½ cup of skimmed milk (low-fat milk).
Then, roast the dark chickpea flour in 1 teaspoon of ghee until a good aroma emanates. This should take around 2-3 minutes. Take care not to burn.
Switch off the flame and add another ½ cup of milk to the roasted flour and mix well using a whisk.
Turn on the heat, bring this to a boil. Make sure to stir this well to avoid the flour sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Now, add the prepared dates and milk paste and mix well.
Add 1 cup of milk, 2 to 4 tablespoons of powdered/grated jaggery. Mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil. You can taste the kheer and adjust sweetness to your taste at this stage.
Add ½ teaspoon of cardamom powder, ¼ to ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder, half of the sliced nuts, mix and turn off the heat.
Serve punjabi besan kheer hot or cold garnished with the remaining sliced nuts.
Notes
Few tips for besan kheer recipe: 1. I have used dates and jaggery in the recipe. If you prefer you can add just dates or just jaggery. But using both gives a nice blend of flavors. 2. Adjust the sweetness to your taste by varying the quantity of jaggery used. The sweetness will vary depending on the sweetness of the dates too. 3. For a vegan version, use low-fat almond milk instead of regular milk and low-fat coconut butter/oil instead of ghee. 4. You can use whole milk or semi-skimmed milk too if you prefer. 5. Can also be made with regular besan and sugar.