Rose Pomegranate kheer with tapioca pearls- vegan.
Indian festive season is the most awaited time of the year in my home. The vibrant colors that blend into every activity of the day, flavors of the special foods, aroma in the air from the kitchen and the religious rituals add a perfect background to memories that last forever, especially when families spend time together.
This festive season, I pledged to be oil free, dairy free and plant based, which is good for body and soul. That was the basic pillar, which guided me on find nourishing festive treats, built on the framework of dishes that I enjoyed growing up.
Kheer/ payasam is very common festive pudding usually made with milk, sweetened with sugar and added rice. Bulgur wheat, tapioca, millet, vermicelli are often used in place of rice.
Tapioca pearls help thicken the pudding, while the rose petals and pomegranate add nice dusky rose color, in addition to the flavor.
I used almond milk, but soy milk will be good as well. If you cannot stop yourself from dairy, you can use regular milk as well.
Rose, Pomegranate & tapioca pearl kheer- vegan
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup pomegranate juice ( blend about 2 1/2 cups pomegranate seeds and sieve for one cup juice)
- 1/2 cup large tapioca pearls
- 2 Tbsp culinary rose petals
- 2 cups almond milk
- 3 Tbsp light maple syrup can use 3 Tbsp light brown sugar instead- optional
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- pinch of nutmeg powder optional
- pomegranate seeds to garnish
- sliced almonds to garnish
- rose petals to garnish optional
- saffron strands to garnish optional
Instructions
- Soak tapioca pearls in one cup water for 20 min. Then drain the water.Get pomegranate juice ready by blending the pomegranate seeds and then straining it. (add very little water if needed to sieve the juice and remove the grit of seeds. The grit can be added to smoothies. Do not waste the fiber).
- Take a thick bottom vessel and on low-medium heat , add almond milk. Let the milk get heated slowly. Do not rush this process. High Heat destroys and burns the milk. This dish is made on low- medium heat from start to end.Once milk is hot, add the tapioca pearls , maple syrup. Stir gently for 10 min. If you use sugar instead, you get more rosy hue, and with light maple syrup, the color is a bit dusky.You should see the tapioca pearls become translucent and the overall consistency of milk thickens slowly.
- Add the rose petals, pomegranate juice, cardamom powder and nutmeg. You can make this recipe even without rosepetals, and use 1 tsp rose water instead. But the rose petals add more richness and texture.
- Keep stirring for another 5-7 min, where you feel the kheer start the thickening.
- The consistency will get a bit thick even after you remove from stove due to starch from tapioca. So, turn the stove off when the kheer is semi thick and doesn't drip fast from the spoon when you stir.
- Take into a serving bowl and garnish with pomegranate seeds , almonds, rose petals.