Ingredients

• 60 gm. Paneer Cheese

• 1 litre milk

• 100 gm. sugar

• 4 tsp. corn flour (custard type, not Indian corn meal)

• A few drops of rose or kewra (screwpine flower) essence or a few strands of saffron

• 10 pistachio or almonds, skinless and chopped. You can buy flaked almonds instead, and crush them a little in your palm.

Instructions

1. Grate or finely chop or crumble paneer into little pieces. Fresh paneer is easy to crumble.

2. Measure all other ingredients & keep aside.

3. Making milk base for the pudding:

4. Boil milk until it is reduced to half.

5. Dissolve the corn flour in a little cold milk and add to boiling milk slowly, stirring all the time. Continue stirring until thickened, almost like a custard. Remove from heat. Keep aside.

6. Cooking paneer: You can do this on another cooking ring while the milk is boiling.

7. Mix sugar with 1/2 cup of water and make a thin syrup.

8. Add grated/chopped paneer and stir.

9. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or so.

10. Strain and add paneer to thickened milk. Discard syrup.

11. If you are using Saffron, add now.

12. Continue boiling briskly for 5-10 minutes, stirring very frequently.

13. Taste and adjust sugar.

14. Cool and add essence, if using rose or Kewra (screw pine essence essence and not saffron.

15. Add 1/2 of the shredded almonds or pistachio or both.

16. Transfer to the bowl you are going to serve it in and chill. It will set slightly.

17. Decorate with remaining almonds and pistachio. Serve chilled.

18. Also see Paneer Kheer 2.

Notes

• Short cuts:

• For making milk base for the kheer/pudding, use only 250 ml. of full fat milk instead of full 1 litre. Boil it and add one 250 ml. tin of un-sweetened condensed milk.

• Buy ready made paneer from Indian store. Fresh tastes better though!

• Buy pre-chopped almonds and pistachio.

• Kewda or Screw pine = It is an Indian flower with a very gentle and sweet scent.