EVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP
THEME: #205 MITHAI MEIN TWIST
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE PHIRNI
Chocolate Phirni is a twist to the classic phirni. Phirni is traditionally made from soaked and ground rice cooked in milk and sugar. Spices like cardamom, nutmeg, saffron are added along with some nuts. To give a twist to a traditional Indian Sweet, I have added both milk and dark chocolate to a phirni recipe.
The Group: FoodieMonday/ Bloghop
It is so nice to be back to FoodieMonday/Bloghop Group. I’ve missed a few themes in the past few weeks because of traveling and a wedding in the family. Indian weddings means a lot of work, preparing for traditional rituals, taking care of guests, making sure everything works seamlessly. Also and fun time meeting up with friends and family. I met some of my sister in law’s family and her friends after so many years and it was really fun spending time with them, catching up and getting to know how life has treated all of them.
FoodieMonday/Bloghop Group is a where 12 enthusiastic food bloggers prepare a new dish according to theme and we post it every Monday.
Theme: Mithai Mein Twist
Literally translated it means a twist to the Indian dessert or mithai as we call it. This theme was suggested by Sasmita who blogs at First Timer Cook. Related to chocolate, check out her unique flavoured Chocolate Tea. I’ve had chocolate tea which came all the way from Ooty. However, it really didn’t impart that subtle taste of chocolate to the tea. I prefer Sasmita’s recipe.
My Recipe For The Theme: Chocolate Phirni
A few days ago I messaged her that I wanted to make a pannacotta and add a desi twist. She sent me an emoticon which showed disappointment. Got the message immediately. I then messaged back that I may not participate as I may not get ingredients in Bali to prepare an Indian sweet or mithai with a twist.
She encouraged me to try and that’s when my brains sort of jolted back to a proper thinking mode. Till then it was still in the jet lag area… we flew out of US on Monday and it was Wednesday when we arrived in Bali! A discomforting thought that we lost one whole day!
How The Recipe Came Up
How did the idea come about? I went to the supermarket with basundi in my head. I bought some full fat milk and was thinking of what to add in it to give it a twist when phirni entered the head and wouldn’t leave!
How did I think of chocolate? Well, there’s quite a bit of chocolate around the house as in her pregnant state, my daughter in law has a crazy craving for it. Weird, as normally she would not indulge in any chocolate. I keep on reminding her that the baby definitely has the Patel gene as we all are chocoholics.
So Chocolate Phirni is my contribution for the Mithai mein twist. Here the chocolate has given it a complete twist, making it more appealing as a rice pudding to the palate of a non Indian and a welcome dessert for chocoholics. Does it taste like the normal phirni? Not at all. My French ‘Samdhi’ kept on insisting that I’ve made the French Rice Pudding and not an Indian dessert. So guess the twist worked well.
Other Phirni Recipes You May Like
Ingredients Required For Chocolate Phirni:
Rice – I have used brown rice. You can use normal white rice too. It is important to soak the rice for at least 30 minutes as that will grind better and cook faster too.
Sweetened Condensed Milk – adds thickness and sweetness too. I have not used the full tin as that would make the phirni too sweet for us. Add according to your taste.
Milk – use full fat milk if possible. Adds a lovely creaminess to the dessert.
Chocolate – I have used both milk and dark chocolate. Use any chocolate of your choice.
Cardamom – I added cardamom as that is what I had when I posted this recipe. I have tried it with orange zest, vanilla and lemon zest too. All taste equally good. For a boozy dessert, add a bit of your favourite liqueur – Cointreau, Baileys Cream, Limoncello are my favourite.
Toppings: Add a bit of your favourite chocolate, chopped nuts, roasted coconut, etc.
CHOCOLATE PHIRNI
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp brown rice
- 1 litre milk full fat
- 300 g sweetened condensed milk please note that I've not used a full tin
- 100 g milk chocolate
- 50 g dark chocolate I used 80% dark chocolate
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
SOME TOPPING SUGGESTIONS:
- Cacao Nibs
- Grated Chocolate
- Chocolate barks
- Granola
- Your favourite chocolate e.g. M&M, mini KitKat, Bounty, etc
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice in little water for 30 minutes.
- Drain out the water.
- Grind the rice into a coarse powder in a food processor. If you're using a food blender then add some of the measured milk and grind it.
- Heat milk in a wide pan over medium heat.
- When it becomes hot, add the coarse rice powder/rice milk mixture.
- Stir the mixture often so that it does not stick to the bottom.
- Let it come to a boil. Add the condensed milk.
- Let the mixture cook, stir it often and keep on scrapping the cream that develops on the side. Put it back into the mixture.
- Cook till the rice is done and the mixture has become thick. This will take about 20-25 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
- Add both the milk and dark chocolate and stir till it melts in the phirni.
- Let the phirni cool down a bit, mix occasionally so that a cream layer does not form on top.
- Spoon the chocolate phirni into small bowls, glasses or clay pots.
- Put in the fridge for it to set. I prefer to leave it overnight. You could leave it in the fridge for 5-6 hours.
- Serve it chilled topped with your favourite topping.
Notes
- I used less condensed milk as the milk chocolate imparts sweetness to the phirni. If you have a sweeter tooth then use the whole tin.
- I used Cadbury Plain Milk Chocolate and Bali Dark Chocolate. Use any that is available in your area.
- Add flavoring of your choice like orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.
Pin For Later:
A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962