Badam Ki Phirni

• Wash the rice thoroughly with water. Soak the washed rice in 1 ½ cup of water for 30 minutes.
• Drain the water completely, grind soaked rice to a fine paste, and keep aside.
• Soak the almonds in warm water for 15 minutes and then peel and grind to a fine paste.
• Soak the saffron strands in 1 tbsp of warm milk and keep aside.
• Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan.
• When the milk boils, lower the flame and add the ground rice paste and stir constantly to ensure it gets properly mixed in the milk and no lumps are formed.
• Keep cooking the milk and rice mixture on low flame till the rice gets cooked and the milk thickens.
• Now add sugar, almond paste, cardamom powder, and the saffron milk to the boiling milk.
• Mix well and cook until the badam ki phirni thickens and sugar gets fully dissolved.
• Transfer the badam ki phirni to small serving bowls.
• Garnish the badam ki phirni in bowls with the chopped almonds and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours so that it sets.

Trivia

 Badam ki phirni owes its unique flavor and creamy texture to the almonds. A fact not commonly known is that almonds are members of the rose family and are also called ‘the queen of the rose family’. Almonds are not technically a nut, they are the seed of a flower! However, since they look like nuts, they are referred to as tree nuts. Vincent van Gogh painted Almond Blossoms in 1890, a painting of blossoming almond trees to celebrate the birth of his nephew, who was also named ‘Vincent’.