3 Desi Dishes Using Milk

In Ruppa Kaur and Pawan Kaur's latest article, "The Evolution of Punjabi Cuisine: Lifestyle, Gender & Farming" they talk about the centrality of food and farming in Gurbani, and milk in Punjabi cooking. Here is a short video from What the Roti using milk to make three different Desi dishes to celebrate our culture, heritage, and traditions. 

Seviyan

Ingredients 

-1 cup seviyan

-5 cups of milk (+/- for desired consistency)

-½ cup sugar (or to taste)

-1 Tbsp desi ghee

-Optional: sliced almonds or anything else you fancy

Directions

Add desi ghee to a pot (dutch oven type work great). Add seviyan once the ghee melts. Let them cook until they slightly start to turn golden brown and release their aroma. Add in milk while occasionally stirring. Cook on medium heat until you can easily squish them between your fingers and the milk comes to a simmer. Add in the sugar and mix well. Important to wait until this step to add sugar. If added before, it ruins the cooking process for seviyan. Cook for another few minutes. You’ll notice the consistency become thick. Taste test and add in more sugar or milk for thinner consistency. Voila, the seviyan are done.

Dahi 

Ingredients

-1/2 Gallon of whole milk

-1 tsp Jaag (Homemade yogurt passed down from family or friends to help you make your own yogurt)

-No jaag? Use 1 tsp plain unsweetened kefir

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Directions

Pour milk into a pan over low heat until the milk comes to gentle boil. Remove from heat and wait for it to cool down to lukewarm temperature. I like to remove the fat from top (malai). Stir in the jaag or kefir. Cover the pot with a lid and wrap it in a towel or blanket. Place it in a warm place: we put ours in the oven with the light on. Say goodnight to it for about 8-10 hrs. We usually make ours at night so that it’s ready in the morning. It should be a smooth consistency. I remove any remaining malai (milk fat) at this point as well. Place it in the fridge and enjoy over the next 3-4 days.

Kheer

Ingredients

-1 cup sugar white sugar

-1 cup rice

-10 cups of full fat milk

-Optional: cardamom pods, dash of cinnamon, raisins and my favorite, sliced almonds

Directions

Warm milk on medium to low heat and stir occasionally until it starts to boil. Add in your washed uncooked rice (basmati preferred) and stir for a minute. (Add in optional cardamom with the rice). Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the rice is soft in texture while stirring throughout the process. Once the rice is cooked, add in sugar, stir and let the kheer come to a boil. Add in optional almonds, cinnamon, or raisins. Give a taste test, add more milk or sugar if needed and it’s ready to enjoy! Remember, it thickens as it sits, especially the next day. Save the leftovers in the fridge to enjoy cold for the next day.

For more recipes and inspiration head over to @WhatTheRoti.