Paneer kheer / Paneer payasam

Paneer Kheer / Paneer Payasam

Of late, I have started developing a crave for desserts. I was never a fan or was never crazy for desserts. But now-a-days, I am searching more recipes for desserts. The reason being,  I myself don’t know. So I am always in search of new and easy-to-make dessert recipes. While I was going through an old recipe book that was presented to me by my mom, my eyes fell on this yummy Paneer Kheer recipe. This is very easy to make and the best thing is that
it is very delicious. 

I don’t know what love at first sight is, but after eating this, I fell in love with this sweet dish. May be, this is called love at first taste. I had some homemade chenna ( paneer ) lying in my fridge. Hence, I immediately jumped out of my couch and prepared this yummy sweet dish. I also thought that I could serve this to my kids as an after-school snack for them. But I was skeptical about they liking this dish as they do not like sweets very much. But I got a sweet surprise ( or I did rather say, sweet shock ) as both my daughter, Pari and my son, Pranav loved it to the core. The best part was that they asked me for more and did not allow me to complete my photo session as well. I was very happy to see them enjoying this Paneer kheer.

I would consider this Paneer Kheer as a very healthy recipe. Paneer is a very rich source of calcium just like milk. So I have got an alternative method of supplying calcium to my kids who are anti-milkies. They just do not like milk. Hence, this is a recipe to keep for it is very easy to prepare and very yummy tooo. You can also check the amazing paneer burji curry which is very easy to prepare and goes well with both rice and roti. Other preparations with paneer are paneer capsicum curry and mixed veg curry both of which are very creamy and an excellent side for roti. Those who do not want to use sugar, can replace it with the healthy jaggery. There will be change in the colour of the dish. 

You can also check how to prepare kalakand ( chenna based popular dessert recipe ) here.  

Preparation

Heat ghee in a pan. 

Add chopped cashews and fry until they are golden brown. Transfer to another plate. 

In the same pan, add the chironji seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Remove them to the same plate in which the cashews were kept. 

In the same pan, add kissmiss and fry until they puff up. Remove to the plate and keep them aside. 

Add milk into the same pan and heat it for 3-4 minutes. You need not bring it to a boil. Just heat it until it gets warm. 

Now add sugar amd mix well. Let the sugar get dissolved completely. 

Add grated paneer ( chenna ), and mix it well. You can use store-bought paneer or homemade paneer. You can check how to prepare homemade chenna here. You can also check how to prepare paneer at home here. 

Cook for 2 minutes and add fried dry fruits..chironji, cashews and kissmiss. Cook it until you get your desired consistency. I cooked it for 5-8 minutes. 

Add cardamom powder and mix it well. 

Remove from flame and allow it to cool down. Keep in the fridge and serve it chillied. Top up with pistachios just before serving. I served it to my kids at room temperature. 

Ingredients

Ghee 1 tsp
Cashews 2 tbsp
Chironji 1 tbsp
Kissmiss 1 tsp
Milk 2 cups
Sugar 1/2 cup
Paneer 1 1/2 cups
Elaichi powder 1/4 tsp 

Method

1. Heat ghee in a pan and fry all the dry fruits one after another separately. Keep them aside. 
2. In the same pan, add milk and heat it until it becomes warm. 
3. Add sugar and mix until it dissolves completely. 
4. Now add grated paneer ( chenna ) and mix well. 
5. Cook for 2 minutes and add the roasted dry fruits. 
6. Cook until you get the consistency you desire. I cooked for 5-8 minutes. 
7. Add cardamom powder and mix well. 
8. Switch off the flame and bring it to room temperature. 
9. Serve as it is or serve chillied. 
10. Garnish with pistachios or saffron just before serving.

Notes

• You can add saffron soaked in milk while cooking the paneer to get a nice colour to your dish. 
• You can add any dry fruits of your choice and availability. 
• You can add or reduce the quantity of sugar according to your taste. The amount that I have used was just correct for my family - not too sweet not too flat. 
• You can add little condensed milk if you want the Paneer kheer rich.