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Chia Quinoa Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

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raw vegan Chia Quinoa Kheer in a glass bowl

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

What is Kheer?  Darn, I was hoping you could tell me… one sec, let me Google it… Alright, what I found out is that it is a rice pudding made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, and either cashews, pistachios or almonds.

It is typically served during a meal or also consumed alone as a dessert.  Right up my alley!  A guiltless dessert!  I am learning new stuff every day, and I love it!   After viewing the cooked version, I decided that it would be easy enough to convert to raw.

Personally, I cooked my quinoa because my body digests it better.  But that is just me.  You can easily make this recipe with sprouted quinoa.  That is the beauty of eating healthy; you can modify recipes to work uniquely for you!

To be honest,  this dish alone would be a fantastic meal for me.  I have never been one of those eaters that need three or four different foods in a meal.  I always have kind of been a mono eater in many ways.  To give you an idea, many years ago when I was working in the home medical equipment field, I use to bring my own lunches to work.  Every day for one and half years, for .56 cents a day (yep, I figured it out) I ate instant grits with a spoonful of peanut butter and raisins!  I loved it and never tired of it. Ahh, those were the days. haha

Anyway, this dish reminds me of rice pudding along with all the wonderful textures of crunchy nuts and chewy raisins.  The spices meld together in the milk and trust me after that last bite, I promise you, you will be raising that bowl to your lips to get that very last drop!  Not that I have done that… who me?  hehe,  Enjoy.  Oh, if you can’t eat nuts you can replace them with sunflower or pumpkin seeds if you would like.

Ingredients:

Yields 2 cups

Prepare quinoa:

Add in:

When serving:

 Preparation:

  1. Cook or Sprout quinoa:
    • Cook ~  Rinse quinoa till water runs clear.  Combine milk and quinoa in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat and let stand covered 5 minutes.
    • Sprout ~ to make 2 cups finished product, put 1 1/3 cup of quinoa in a jar.  Add 2-3 times as much cool (60-70 degree) water.  Mix quinoa up to assure even water contact for all.  Soak for 20-30 minutes.  Then drain off the soak water, rinse well and drain.  Place a mesh lid on the jar and set anywhere out of direct sunlight and at room temperature (70° is optimal).  Rinse and drain again every 8-12 hours until tails are formed.  Now it is ready to use.
  2. After cooking or sprouting, stir together the agave, vanilla, chia seeds, almonds, pistachios, cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins.  Add the desired amount of coconut or almond cream.  In as little as 30 minutes or so the chia will have absorbed all the liquid, and you’ll have a pudding.  You can always add more cream like I did.  Top with additional nuts and raisins if you wish.

20 thoughts on “Chia Quinoa Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

  1. Wow thanks for sharing! This sounds delicious and love the pic. I am sure I would love this. I have never tried sprouted quinoa but have always wanted to give it a try and will definitely keep this recipe in mind. I totally understand the mono meal part but. I am originally from Sweden and we are used to mix all kind of food on one plate but now when I did the transition to a conscious Raw Vegan lifestyle – I have to say I truly appreciate each flavour and the less the better! Have a wonderful day. Many hugs from Amsterdam!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Katrin. :) I have really come to enjoy quinoa. Of course I eat mine cooked due to my digestion but I find it to be such a versatile food. Have a wonderful week. hugs!

  2. Paula says:

    Thank u soooouch I never imagined I’d find soooo many people sharing recipes when I switched to raw. Breakfast isy most challenging. I thank u! Abundant Blessings
    Paula

    Ps keep em coming. This looks delish!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Paula… I have to agree, it is nice that our community of support is growing. :) I have many recipes on my site for breakfast foods. Is there anything in particular that you most enjoy at this time of the day? Have a wonderful day, amie sue

  3. Mamabird says:

    Oh gosh.. breakfast is the hardest to come up with. You can only do so many smoothies. My sons here visiting for a few weeks and I have been looking for something other than smoothies or fruit. Although theyre great its nice to have something different. I love your page and just wish you’d have a forum for all of us. Hint Hint?

    • amie-sue says:

      A forum would be nice…a lot of work but nice. lol Right now, I am trying to keep up on my recipes, that alone is almost a part time job. :) Have a wonderful time with your boys! amie sue

  4. Jesse Gabriel says:

    Hallo Amie Sue.
    Oh wieder so ein wunderbares Rezept, ich esse Kheer sehr gerne, manchmal gebe ich auch noch grün Kardamom, frisch gemahlen und etwas Tonkabohne dazu.
    Eine Hälfte des Quinoa koche ich und die andre Hälfte gebe gebe ich gekeimt dazu.
    Es ist ein guter Start in den Tag, schmeckt aber genauso gut zum Mittag und am Abend ist es sehr beruhigend.

    Ganz viele Grüße,
    Jesse Gabriel

    • amie-sue says:

      Google translated…

      Hi Amie Sue.
      Oh such a wonderful recipe again, I eat Kheer very much, sometimes I’ll even green cardamom, freshly ground and tonka bean to something.
      One half of the quinoa I cook, and give the other half I give to have germinated.
      It is a good start to the day, but tastes just as good for lunch and in the evening it is very reassuring.

      Very best regards,
      Jesse Gabriel
      ____________________________________

      That sounds great too Jesse! Thank you for sharing that idea. :) I hope all is well, always good to hear from you! amie sue

  5. Linda says:

    Amie Sue,

    I love quinoa!!!! I have eaten it both cooked and sprouted, but like you, it sits better with me cooked. This looks like the perfect breakfast food on a cold day. Of course, here in Southern CA, it is getting into the 80’s soon to be 90’s…..so much for cold weather~~LOL Oh the heck with it, it looks like the perfect breakfast food on hot days also! ha-ha Have a great day and thanks for the fab recipe.

    • amie-sue says:

      We are having some hot weather here in AZ too Linda… I am ready to head to OR to “chill” out. hehe I hope you try this recipe and keep me posted if you do! Have a wonderful day, amie sue

      • April says:

        Kheer is excellent cold as well as hot, so don’t be afraid to pull it out of the fridge and eat up without heating it up! :)

        • amie-sue says:

          Thank you April :)

          • Linda says:

            Thanks April. Hadn’t thought of eating cold (that will be nice in these hot hot summers)!
            Amie Sue… Had some this a.m., but substitued dried cherries for raisins. Didn’t have any and didn’t feel like running to the store to buy some. It was delish!
            I am now in the process of making your Banana Bread recipe. I had to soak more almonds for almond milk because I didn’t have enough pulp~~~waaah never enough pulp~~ha-ha Looking forward to tasting this one also. :}

            • amie-sue says:

              Hi Linda… so happy that you enjoyed the dish, way to use what you had on hand! ;) I hope you enjoy the banana bread too. It smells heavenly while in the dehydrator. I hear ya on the almond pulp. I just started drinking it daily in my protein drinks so I have been blessed with some to play with. So fun! Have a wonderful weekend and keep in touch. amie sue

  6. IsisDC says:

    I love your site! And I also love kheer, it is one of my favorite Indian dishes. I am, however having problems with grains these days, so I am taking a break with them.
    I bet there is a way to make this dish 100% raw using chia. I am going to give it a try and let you know!

    • amie-sue says:

      Hi IsisDC…. hmm chia seeds, well sounds interesting. Let me know how it works. :) You can sprout the quinoa making it 100% raw too.

  7. Lisa says:

    I am new to raw foods and slowly trying to introduce a few recipes into the family meals. I love this recipe; it sounds and looks so lovely and not at all daunting or time consuming. Yeah!

    • amie-sue says:

      Hi Lisa,

      Welcome :) If you have any questions along your journey, please don’t hesitate to ask, I will do my best to help. amie sue

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