Misbah ul-Haq, Shakespeare, Injuries, and Kheer

YES!  YES!!  YES!!!  It's raining like h*ll on wheels this morning, but it's a great day!  That hot chili of a captain, Misbah ul-Haq showed everyone how to do things properly yesterday by drawing the match with South Africa.  He was beautiful at the crease!




O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
By that sweet ornament which truth doth give!
Shakespeare, sonnet 54

 
He's been a really good influence on the team...every player is now batting with style, elegance, and patience.  It was so good to see Misbah ul-Haq and Azhar Ali remain composed while the South Africans were getting visibly frustrated.   Congrats Pakistan, and congrats Captain...you're getting more and more awesome every day!  Even Bill Shakespeare says so!

There were some injuries on both sides during this match.  Graeme Smith broke his thumb, and might be out of tests for a while.   Misbah ul-Haq, unfortunately, while doing a pull shot, hit Hashim Amla of South Africa very very hard on his left forearm.   The captain did not do this on purpose,  it was an accident.  We heard the cracking sound the ball made when it hit him, and the poor guy's arm got swollen immediately.  I hope he hasn't broken anything and that he can play again very soon. 

Karma bit back at Misbah ul-Haq

In a strange twist of fate (or cosmic karma),  almost immediately afterwards, Morne Morkel bowled extremely fast and hit Misbah ul-Haq in his gentleman's parts.  You know what's impressive?  The captain regained his cool after what must have been an agonizing couple of minutes, and continued to bat his way to an unbeaten 58.    Well done, and I hope all three injured men are feeling better today. 

Right.  So today I'm going to show you how to make kheer, or rice pudding as it's known in English.  It sounds boring, but the methodology and cooking method make this a spectacular and thrilling dessert which will impress even the most sophisticated of palates. That is why this sweet dish is served at weddings and other fancy occasions.  Now go get your apron, wooden spoon and a pot and let's get started.

Kheer
Ingredients
3/4 cup uncooked Basmati rice, soaked for at least 1 hour
1/2 teaspoon maximum crushed green cardamom
2 litres full-fat milk
1 and 1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
2 or 3 tablespoons of slivered pistachios
2 tablespoons or more of raisins (kishmish)
1/4 teaspoon kewra essence or 1/4 teaspoon rosewater (optional)
edible silver leaves (optional)

Crush the cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle, and remember to take out the fibrous shell.  Grind the seeds until it's a powder.  I find that freshly ground cardamom is very very strong, so I only use the seeds of 3 or 4 cardamom pods.  1/2 teaspoon would be very overpowering.  Remember, you want subtlety and balance, like Misbah ul-Haq's batting.

After the rice has been soaked, drain it and crush it in a food processor or crush it with your hands.

Put the rice and cardamom powder and milk in a pot and cook on medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.

Simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat, and keep on stirring.

Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered until the rice is completely mushy and most of the milk has been reduced and it thick.  This will take approximately 40 minutes.  Stir constantly so the mix doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add the sugar and stir constantly; the sugar will make the mix thinner, so cook for another 5 minutes or until it's thick again.

Now here's the important part:  unlike Canadian style rice pudding, kheer "sets" almost like a gelatin.  To test if the kheer is ready, put a spoonful of it on a plate.  If it "sets" in two minutes more or less, then it's ready.

Add the nuts and kishmish, but set some aside as garnish.
Add the optional kewra or optional rosewater (DO NOT ADD MORE THAN 1/4 teaspoon OR IT WILL OVERPOWER EVERYTHING!)  Again, balance of flavours is key!

Give it a good stir, and either transfer to one big serving dish, or divide it up into individual serving dishes.  Garnish with the reserved nuts, kishmish, and edible silver leaves.  Serve warm or cold.

A note about the silver:  Decorative edible silver leaves (warak) are available at Indian or Pakistani grocery shops.  This combined with the other garnish makes a spectacular dessert perfect for a fancy holiday or special occasion.

And there you have it; a beautiful dessert for a beautiful day.  The Pakistan team will be playing New Zealand next, and I personally cannot wait to see how they do.  They are definetly on the up!  Pakistan Zindabad!  Lots to be proud of today!

Happy eating, and Happy Cricket!