All the flavors of meetha paan come together in this delectable Paan Kheer! Topped with a rose cashew crumble, this paan kheer is a fun twist to the regular kheer and makes a great festive dessert!
3largepaan leavesuse 2 if you want less strong paan flavor
2tablespoonsgulkandrose petal preserve
1/4cup + 4 tablespoonswhole milk
3tablespoonssugaror to taste
1-2tablespoonsnutsI used chopped cashews & almonds
1-2dropsmint essenceoptional
Rose Cashew Crumble
4tablespoonsall purpose flour
1tablespoonsugar
1tablespoonunsalted buttermelted
1tablespoonrose syrup
2tablespoonschopped cashews
rose syrup, to serve
Instructions
Soak 1/3 cup basmati rice for 20 to 30 minutes in enough water. Then drain the water and set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon ghee in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Then add the soaked and drained rice. Saute for a minute or two along with green cardamoms (break them slightly before adding to the pan).
Add in 1 liter milk and stir. Let it come to a boil on medium high heat.
In the meanwhile puree paan leaves along with gulkand and 1/4 cup + 4 tablespoons milk (using a blender) . Set it aside.
Once the milk comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook the kheer for around 25 minutes, stirring often. If you don't stir often, the kheer might burn and stick to the bottom of the pan so don't forget that. It will thicken after 25 minutes, now add the prepared paan puree.
Also add the sugar. Since gulkand is sweet, 3 tablespoons of sugar was good for me here. You can add more or less.
Stir and simmer the kheer for 7 to 8 more minutes. Also add the nuts if using and mint essence. Remove pan from heat.
To make the rose cashew crumble- in a large bowl, mix together flour with sugar and then add melted butter to it. Mix with your hands to mix it all together. Also pre-heat oven to 375 F degrees.
Then add rose syrup and the cashews. Mix until it resembles crumbs.
Transfer mixture to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.Bake at 375 F degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Don't break into small pieces. Once you take out of oven, let it cool and then break into large crumbles.
To serve, drizzle some rose syrup at the bottom of the bowl or glass then fill the glass with the paan kheer. Chill the kheer for few hours.
Top with the prepared rose cashew crumble before serving. Serve the paan kheer chilled. Enjoy!
Notes
This kheer has a strong paan flavor. To reduce the flavor of paan, you can use 2 paan leaves in place of 3.
You can also add desiccated coconut and dates to the kheer. If you use dates, further reduce the quantity of sugar in the kheer.
Do use a heavy bottom pan to make the kheer so that milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan as the kheer cooks.