Going back to the roots...

                                         

I landed in Bhubaneswar on a cool clear day in February...having been stuck inside a tin can they call an aeroplane for hours I was more than ready for a visit outside and we ended up at the "Adivasi Mela" 

I ended up picking up Palua or Arrowroot along with a few other herbs (turmeric, bhel patra etc.) at the Mela and it was a glimpse into a part of the culture that I hadn't been exposed to in a long time. Palua is a root vegetable and has numerous health benefits - easy to digest, good for digestion, immunity boosting, treats urinary tract infections,fights food borne pathogens and soothes dental issues among other things...

The Palua sat in my pantry for a couple months and then finally today I dusted out my degchi (cooking pot) and made some delicious kheer(i) which my son  slurped down in the matter of minutes.

How do you make Palua Kheeri? Here is my 5-step fool proof recipe to making this recipe in a degchi

1. Start your cooking range, place degchi and pour about 3/4th liters of milk (I used 2%) and start heating
2. Make a slurry of the Palua in cold milk ( about 3 tbspoon worth)
3. Grind cardamom ( 6 pods) and sugar to taste ( I added this) and add in the degchi
4. when the milk starts boiling, gently add the slurry and keep stirring
5. when the consistency of the kheer thickens (like picture above)...it's done

Here is my 3-step fool proof recipe to making this recipe in an Instant Pot

1. Make a slurry of the Palua in cold milk ( about 3 tbspoon worth)
2. Turn on your instant pot, add 3/4th liters of milk, add the slurry, Grind cardamom ( 6 pods) and sugar to taste ( I added this) and add to your IP
3. Keep the instant pot to Porridge Mode and let your kheer cook. Stir - check sweetness and consistency.

You can eat it warm or cold...Enjoy!

What I have learnt rather late in life is that - it's the simple things that take you back to your roots and sometimes it just doesn't need to be complicated.