Chhath Puja Kharna Prasad – The great festival of Chhath has started; tomorrow is Kharna. People observing the fast on this day remain hungry throughout the day and eat jaggery kheer (also known as Rasiya) and roti after the evening puja, after which the 36-hour waterless fast begins. But many women face this problem – the kheer does not taste good, or the milk curdles as soon as jaggery is added. Actually, the problem is with the “time of adding jaggery”.

Ingredients (suitable for 1-2 people)

Rice: 50-100 grams (choose small grain rice; it cooks quickly)

Full Cream Milk: 1 litre

Jaggery: 100-150 grams (increase or decrease as per your taste)

Cardamom powder: a little (optional)

Three main things: protect kheer from bursting and bad taste

Step 1: Soak the rice first
Wash the rice and soak it in water for 15-30 minutes. Wetted rice cooks quickly, dissolves well in milk, and the kheer tastes creamy.

Step 2: Cook on low flame
Boil the milk, add the soaked rice, reduce the flame to low and cook slowly. Keep stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom. When the rice is completely cooked and the milk thickens, turn off the flame. The most important thing here is: after turning off the flame, allow the kheer to cool, not keep it hot.

Step 3: Add jaggery last (most important!)
Do not add jaggery directly into boiling milk. Jaggery contains acidic substances, which curdle immediately when it comes in contact with hot milk proteins. The correct method is: Let the kheer cool to room temperature, then add the jaggery, broken into small pieces or grated, and mix well with a spoon. In this way, the jaggery will melt, the milk will not curdle, the colour of the kheer will be golden, and the taste will be perfect.

 

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Additional tip:

If you want to go more traditional, cook on an earthen stove with mango wood, the flavour will have a slight smoky aroma. If you live in the city, you can also cook it on gas; just make sure the utensils are thoroughly clean. This is very important for the “purity” of Chhath Prasad.