From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sweet pudding dish from South Asia
Kheer
A bowl of kheer
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Alternative names
| Payasam, Payesh, Ksheeram, Doodhpak
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Type
| Pudding
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Course
| Dessert
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Place of origin
| South India and odisha
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Main ingredients
| Rice, milk, sugar,
cardamom
,
jaggery
,
saffron
,
pistachios
or
almonds
|
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Variations
| Barley
kheer, Kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk),
payasam
, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer)
|
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| 249
kcal
(1043
kJ
)
|
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|
Kheer
, also known as
payasam
or
payesh
, is a
pudding
/
porridge
popular in the
Indian subcontinent
, usually made by boiling milk, sugar or
jaggery
, and
rice
. It can be additionally flavored with dried fruits, nuts, cardamom and saffron. Instead of rice, it may contain cracked wheat, vermicelli (
sevai
) or
tapioca
(sabudana).
[1]
In Southern India, it is known as payasam and it is made in various ways. The most popular versions are the ones made with rice and vermicelli (semiya).
[1]
Etymology
[
edit
]
The word
kheer
is derived from the
Sanskrit
word for
milk
,
kshira
(?????). Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet
rice pudding
. The word
p?yasam
used in South Indian circles is related to the Sanskrit
payas
, 'rice'.
Origin
[
edit
]
It is said to have originated initially in South India thousands of years ago. The story is titled “The Legend of Chessboard” in Kerala, an old sage in the form of Krishna challenged the king of Ambalapuzha (Chess enthusiasts) to play chess. To motivate the Sage, the king offered anything that the sage would name. The sage modestly asked just for a few grains of rice but under one condition: the king has to put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every consequent one.
Krishna (the Sage) won the game and as mentioned the king started placing the grains. As he stacked them, he was shocked to see the number grow exponentially. In the end, the number came up to trillions. Krishna reveals himself and asks the king to provide Kheer to every pilgrim who comes to his temple there. The Ambalapuzha Krishna temple still follows this and it's located in Kerala’s Alappuzha district.
[2]
According to the food historian
K. T. Achaya
, kheer or
payasam
, as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish in
ancient India
. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar, a formula that has endured for over two thousand years.
Payasam
was also a staple
Hindu
temple food, in particular, and it is served as
Pras?da
to devotees in
temples
.
[3]
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Links to related articles
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North
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South
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West
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East
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Miscellaneous
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Indian diaspora
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