Kheer - Rice Pudding

INGREDIENTS

Long grain rice, 2 cups, soaked for two hours
Milk, 8-10 cups
Evaporated milk (optional), 1 cup (if you want super thick kheer)
Granulated sugar, 2 cups (lesser if you like less sweet, more if you have a big sweet tooth)
Cardamom powder, 1 teaspoon
Golden raisins, 1 1/2 cups, washed
Almonds, 1 cup soaked in just boiled water for half hour and skin peeled (optional), sliced
Pistachios, 1 cup chopped to brittle (optional)

COOKING

1. Boil 2 cups of rice in a tall cooking pot with enough water to soak the rice and then double the level. Rice should become extremely soft and break into more than three pieces and all the water must have boiled off.
2. Add 8-10 cups milk (enough to soak the rice) and 1 cup evaporated milk (optional).
3. Use a hand blender to evenly blend the rice and milk to a uniform liquid.
4. Add 1 teaspoon cardamom powder, 1 1/2 cup golden raisins, and 2 cups sugar.
5. Set the mixture to boil and cook on medium heat stirring continuously to avoid burning/sticking to the base of the pot.
6. Cook well until the kheer is thick.
7. Pour into a serving dish and garnish with almonds and pistachios.

Tip for Slicing Almonds

Keep water to boil and when it does, remove it from heat and add almonds.
Allow the almonds to stay soaked for half hour.
Remove the almonds from water and peel off the skin.
Use a sharp knife to section each almond in half.
You can further slice into slivers.
These are for garnishing.

SUGAR FREE VERSION

Follow the cooking procedures without adding sugar of course. Once the kheer is thick, allow it to cool and while it is still slightly warm add as many sachets of Equal sweeteners as you like.