Pheni kheer is synonymous with Karwa Chauth. Whether you want to include it in your Sargi thali or have it after breaking the fast, Karwa Chauth is incomplete without indulging in a creamy serving of pheni. For a quick recipe with quick tips to make it, follow this traditional recipe.
Karwa Chauth is one of the most auspicious festivals, traditionally celebrated by married couples in India. It is a festival that fills the air with sheer love as the married women observe a day-long fast for the long lives of their husbands. The nirjala vrat, meaning fasting without drinking water or eating food, is both a symbol of devotion and a means of prayer for the partner’s good health and longevity.
Karwa Chauth begins early in the morning, when women prepare and eat a traditional thali before sunrise. The pre-dawn meal, known as Sargi, is often whipped up by the mother-in-law of the married woman as a thoughtfully curated gift. Since Sargi is the only meal to be consumed during the festival, the thali included hydrating and energy-releasing ingredients and dishes like fresh fruits, a glass of milk, dry fruits, nuts, paratha, pheni kheer, etc.
While most women customise their thali as per their preference, pheni kheer stands as a staple for Sargi. Not only is it consider
Read More1 The key to the perfect pheni kheer is milk. To achieve the creamy consistency, always use full-fat milk instead of skimmed milk or low-fat versions.
2 Remember that pheni is really delicate and all it needs to cook is a couple of minutes. If you simmer the kheer after adding roasted pheni for too long, you’ll get a mushy lump. So, only add the pheni once the milk is thickened and turn off the heat once the pheni is soft.
3 Depending on your preference, you can add more or less sugar. If you’re avoiding refined sugar, you can use alternatives like mishri (rock sugar), jaggery powder, or artificial sweeteners. But note that the taste can vary slightly depending on the ingredients you choose.
4 To give pheni kheer its distinct golden hue, don’t miss adding saffron. Simply soak a couple of strands in warm milk. Let the strands release their colour and fragrance, and after about ten minutes, add the soaked strands to the kheer.
5 While you can add dry fruits and nuts after slicing, if you like having a slight crunch in your dessert, you can lightly roast the nuts. Just take some ghee and toast almonds, cashew nuts, and pistachios, slice them, and then mix them into the kheer.
Heat some ghee in a kadhai and lightly roast the pheni for about one to two minutes. Once aromatic, keep the pheni aside.
In the same kadhai, add full cream milk and let it boil. Once boiled, lower the flame, and let the milk simmer. Keep simmering until the milk thickens, and be sure to stir continuously; otherwise, the milk will stick to the sides.
If you’re using saffron, soak the strands in a little milk. Add the mix and cardamom powder to the simmered milk. The saffron-infused milk should release its golden hue.
Add the roasted pheni to the milk and cook for five to ten minutes on a low flame. Let the pheni absorb the milk till you get a creamy consistency and pudding-like texture.
Once the pheni is soft, add the sugar. Keep stirring till the sugar is completely dissolved in the kheer.
In the meantime, slice almonds, cashew nuts, and pistachios into equal halves. Mix half of the sliced nuts into the kheer.
Cook the pheni kheer for another two to three minutes till it reaches the desired consistency.
Turn off the flame and garnish with the remaining half of the dry fruits and nuts. You can serve it warm or refrigerate it before serving, as per your preference.
Pheni, or sometimes spelt Feni, is a very fine variation of vermicelli. It is usually pre-roasted or lightly fried and packed in a nest-like shape. You can easily buy a pack of pheni from an Indian grocery store or supermarket, especially around festivals like Karwa Chauth and Diwali.
Regular vermicelli, or semiya, can also be used to make kheer. However, pheni is traditionally made for Sargi, which is the pre-dawn meal before the Karwa Chauth vrat starts. In case you’re using seviya instead of pheni, make sure you cook the kheer a little longer till the vermicelli is tender.
If the pheni kheer turns out to be thicker after refrigeration, you can warm up some milk and simmer it with the kheer till you get the desired consistency.
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