Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

M has a major sweet tooth, being the quintessential Bengali that he is. This was the perfect excuse to make some rice kheer, albeit, with a little twist..I used a good amount of coconut milk along with condensed milk. Using coconut in kheer is not a new concept; Coconut Payesam (Pudding) was prepared as a "prasadam" ( Offering to god) on certain auspicious days at my home. But adding coconut milk added a very delicate flavor to this pudding.


Ingredients

1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
~ 4 cups of water to thin the condensed milk
1/2 can lite coconut milk ( You could also use 4 tbsp of coconut milk powder , mixed with 2 tbsp of water)
1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice ( Using a rice which has more starch content results in a creamier pudding)
1/2 cup of frozen shredded coconut, thawed ( Add ~ 1/2 cup of water to the frozen coconut and microwave for 1 minute)
~ 8 - 10 Cardamom seeds powdered(Optional)

Method

Heat the 4 cups of water in a pan. Add 3/4 of the condensed milk to the water, stirring well. Add the washed Jasmine rice. Let the rice cook on a medium flame, stirring around every 3-5 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Once the rice is nearly cooked, add the rest of the condensed milk along with the coconut milk, thawed shredded coconut and powdered cardamom. Stir well and continue cooking till the rice is done. Serve chilled.