Brown Rice Carrot Kheer

In some parts of the world, the word "to eat" literally means "to eat rice." All varieties of rice are available throughout the year, supplying as much as half of the daily calories for half of the world's population. S is sooo fond of rice, he can have Dal-Rice daily with no complaints. But that doesnt make my life easier in kitchen, he wants it with chutney, dahi, papad, achar and not to forget the utterly important Alu-Bhujiya. Infact, one of his close friends gifted him a pack of Zeera-Rice as his bdy present. Off course his fan following is restricted to White Rice only and does not like Brown Rice that much. He says it doesnt taste like Rice at all , infact once I had to cook him Rice after he had had one serving of the Brown variety already.. just to satisfy his taste buds.. Uff ! Such a pain these Husbands are :) So, now I take 50:50 proportion of both and cook it together, so that at least he eats half of it good .. Wives are no less I tell u ;)

Good To Know: The difference between brown rice and white rice is not just color! A whole grain of rice has several layers. Only the outermost layer, the hull, is removed to produce what we call brown rice. This process is the least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids the unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with further processing. If brown rice is further milled to remove the bran and most of the germ layer, the result is a whiter rice, but also a rice that has lost many more nutrients. At this point, however, the rice is still unpolished, and it takes polishing to produce the white rice we are used to seeing. Polishing removes the aleurone layer of the grain--a layer filled with health-supportive, essential fats. Because these fats, once exposed to air by the refining process, are highly susceptible to oxidation, this layer is removed to extend the shelf life of the product. The resulting white rice is simply a refined starch that is largely bereft of its original nutrients.

Enough of Gyan about Brown Rice, this recipe was specially made for Hubby. I thought he wouldnt know the difference, but he s smart when it comes to rice.. Yes , he did understand but ate it all at the end since it was no less than his fav Rice Kheer. :)

Ingredients:
1 cup Brown rice
5 cups + 2 tbsp Milk
3 cups Water
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cardamom
1 tbsp Ghee
Pinch of Saffron
2 tbsp Condensed Milk
2 cups grated carrot

Method:
Soak Brown rice in warm water for 24 hours. I mean soak it in Warm water and keep it at some warm place, that will keep it soft.
Now drain the rice completely, and heat Ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry the rice in this ghee at medium flame for 5-6 min.
Transfer the rice to pressure cooker and add 3 cups of water and pressure cook for two whistles.
When the pressure ease off, add milk and carrot and simmer for 20-25 min stirring frequently in between. The milk should remain half of its quantity by now.
Add cardamom, Sugar and condensed milk and stir for 10 more min till the kheer thickens.
Mix saffron with 2 tbsp of milk and add to this Kheer, mix and turn off the flame. You can garnish with nuts, serve hot or chilled.

Notes:
Brown rice has a tough layer and so it softens slower than the white rice. Please dont compare it with the mushiness of White rice when cooking, this will remain nutty and crisp in texture with some stickiness.

Off to Ramya's ABC Desserts, Radhika's Lets Cook-Rice, Vardhini's New U, Love Lock with sweets started by Vidhya and hosted by ''Killer on the Plate'', Jyoti's ''Healthy and Hearty''