A Classic Makhana Kheer Recipe from Mithila
The smell of milk simmering on the stove, as the aroma of roasted makhana crushed in bamboo baskets fills the air, is the aroma of makhana kheer. Ruchi Shrivastava shares a recipe for her family’s Sunday kheer
Makhana is everywhere in Mithila. Foxnuts are offered as prasad, roasted as snacks on the street, and cooked in curries, and turned into kheer. Makhana kheer is made specially on auspicious occasions, but also simply when there is an abundance makhana in the pantry. In my home, I remember the smell of milk simmering on the stove, while my mother crushed makhana in bamboo baskets on the side.
There is a very popular rhyme which describes Mithila in all its ways:
Pag pag pokhar machh makhan
Saras bol muski mukh paan
Vidya Vaibhav shanti Prateek
Saras kshetra Mithilanchal theek
On every step is a pond, fish and makhana
People speak sweetly chewing paan
Mithila has knowledge, prosperity, and peace in abundance.
On our last vacation in Mithila, my mother made makhana kheer for my daughter, Mishika, and I. Mishika loved it so much, she wrote it down and shared it with me. It is now a dish we cook every Sunday.
The recipe, written by my daughter, Mishika
RECIPE FOR MAKHANA KHEER
(Make 4 bowls)
Ingredients
1 litre milk
¼ cup sugar
2 cups makhana
Cashew nuts, almonds, raisins as per preference
2 pods cardamom
Method
Boil the milk, then bring it to a simmer until it becomes thick and creamy. My mother’s rule is that the milk should reduce by half before the next step.
Heat another wok on the flame, and roast the makhana. Stor occasionally to prevent burning.
The white makhana will slowly turn golden. Once it is crunchy, remove from the heat.
Crush the makhana with a mortar and pestle. Avoid grinding it in mixer grinder as it becomes too powdery.
Now, add sugar and cardamom pods to the milk. Stir well.
Add the crushed makhana to the milk, simmer for additional 5-7 mins. This will thicken the milk.
Finish with roasted nuts.
Ruchi Shrivastava is a software engineer by day, and at home, a storyteller by night.
ALSO ON GOYA
