Phirni (ground rice pudding)

Makes 6 servings

1⁄3 cup basmati rice (see Note) 1 quart whole milk 1 pinch saffron strands, plus a little extra to garnish 4 green cardamom pods ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup sliced almonds

Instructions: Clean the rice and soak in tap water for about 1 hour. Drain the water and grind the rice in a blender with ½ cup cold tap water for a few seconds on high speed, until it turns into a coarse paste. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring ¼ cup of the milk to a rolling boil on high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the pinch of saffron strands. Allow the saffron to sit in the hot milk for about 30 minutes; its color should infuse the milk.

Remove seeds from cardamom pods. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds to a fine powder. Transfer the powder along with the saffron-milk mixture to a large saucepan containing the maple syrup and the rest of the milk. Heat the milk on high, constantly stirring until it just starts to boil. At this point, aggressively whisk in the ground rice mixture, making sure to prevent clumping. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, on low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes until the consistency of the mixture resembles a thick custard. Remove from heat and fold in half of the almonds. Divide the mixture among six ramekin bowls and garnish with the remaining almonds and a strand or two of the saffron. Refrigerate for about 4 to 6 hours until the pudding has set. Serve chilled.

Note: You can use broken basmati or a less expensive variety of basmati here since the rice will be ground.