Hosta

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]

Etymology

The word kheer is derived from the Sanskrit word for milk, kshira (क्षीर). Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet rice pudding. The word pāyasam used in South Indian circles is related to the Sanskrit payas, 'rice'.

Origin

Kheer was a part of the ancient Indian diet.^[2]^{[better source needed]}It is believed that the dessert originated 2000 years ago in the Jagannath Temple in Orissa.^[1]

According to the food historian K. T. Achaya, kheer or payas, 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. Payas was also a staple Hindu temple food, in particular, and it is served as Prasāda to devotees in temples.^[3]

Phirni

Phirni or firni is a variety of kheer made from ground rice or rice flour, which results in a smoother and thicker consistency. It is traditionally served in clay bowls called shikoras and eaten chilled.^[1]