A makhana kheer recipe with jaggery to satiate your sweet cravings

All my childhood memories revolve around food and the Navratri celebrations at my grandma’s place are no exception. The undisputed highlight of childhood Navratris? Feasting on all the goodies, participating in poori eating competitions along with a boisterous bunch of cousins and being crowned the undisputed champ for a record number of years, until, alas, all of us discovered concepts like calories, trans fats, mindful eating, wellness and fitness (and, ahem, in certain cases, size zero). But even back in the day, when deep-fried malpuas, syrup-doused pantuas and crispy boondi ruled the roost and cholesterol and triglyceride were alien terms, a gluten free, antioxidant rich dessert held sway over our hearts. I am talking of Makhane ki Kheer, of course.

A Navratri staple, it was a humble and healthy alternative to rice kheer. Perhaps it was the novelty factor, perhaps it was just our overactive imagination, but the rice preparation seemed to be richer, creamier and took a whole lot more time appearing on the table, while the makhana version seemed to be lighter, sweeter and took barely any time disappearing from our bowls!

Once fine saptami, when we enquired into the ingredients, only to be told it included jaggery and not sugar, our enthusiasm to devour it was slightly diminished. Fortunately, our appetites remained unaffected.

So, without further ado, let’s take a quick peek into what goes into making the Makhane ki kheer oh so special:

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons of ghee
• 2 bowls of makhana (Also known as fox nuts/gorgon nuts/lotus seeds. Make sure the makhanas are small)
• 4 cups of milk
• 2 tablespoons of finely ground coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
• 1 saffron strand
• Assorted nuts – sliced almonds, raisins, chopped pistachio, golden fried cashew nuts
• Powdered organic jaggery to taste (No white sugar or condensed milk, please. This is supposed to be a healthy dessert, remember?)

Method: 

• Heat the ghee in a pan. 
• Add the makhana and roast them on medium flame till they become crunchy. 
• Take the makhana out of the pan and set them aside. 
• Grind half the makhana in a blender. 
• Boil the milk in another pan.
• Add the coconut, cardamom powder, and saffron strand to the milk.
• When the milk comes to boil, add the powdered jaggery. 
• Keep stirring and mix it thoroughly.
• Add the ground makhana first.
• Follow it up with the rest of the roasted makhana. 
• This adds much-needed crunch and texture to the kheer.
• Keep stirring for about eight minutes, till the milk thickens slightly and the makhana softens.
• The consistency of the kheer need not be as thick as rice kheer. 
• Garnish with dry fruits and your makhana kheer is ready!

Serve hot or refrigerate for a few hours, whichever you prefer.