A simple warm drink made with garden cress seeds…
Ramadan is flying in full speed. It is almost a week already. It gets hot at times but Alhamdulillah so far it has been bearable. Back home, my parents have been lamenting about how hot it is and how stressful fasting is. May Allah reward all for the hardship that they face during this sacrifice we do only for Him… Aameen Ya Rubb… The below Hadith is one that gives a lot of calmness to the heart, even when the fasting is hard…
Narrated Abu Huraira (ra), the Prophet (saw) said, “Allah said: The Fast is for Me and I will give the reward for it, as he (the one who observes the fast) leaves his sexual desire, food and drink for My Sake. Fasting is a screen (from Hell) and there are two pleasures for a fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. And the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in Allah’s Sight than the smell of musk.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Coming to the recipe for today… Usually assario or garden cress seeds means Habbal Hamra for me, and many of my readers too… That is how I found this ingredient and realized that there were many more uses to this ingredient. One is this kheer that I made after seeing it on Fami’s Insta stories. This ingredient is best known for its stomach cooling and lactation boosting properties. This kheer, that is usually made in some states in norther India, is usually taken during winters, or when you need something to calm your stomach. The kheer is very simple to make with very limited ingredients. I chose to sweeten it with honey, so I added it at the end of the cooking. If you choose jaggery, make sure that you add it when the milk is hot and do not boil it after, to avoid it from splitting. It is a very forgiving recipe, in the sense you can use the flavoring as per your choice, which I will mention in the remarks. If you are someone like me who likes something warm during Iftar time even if it is hot, then this one is surely for you…
Aliv Kheer | Halim Kheer | Garden-Cress Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp assario seeds/ garden cress seeds
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups milk
- A pinch of saffron
- A pinch of cardamom
- 2 tbsp honey for sweetness
- Slivered almonds
Instructions
- Soak the seeds in water till it plumps up.
- In a saucepan, bring the milk to boil. Heat for around ten minutes. Add the saffron, cardamom and the soaked seeds. Stir well.
- Cook for another ten minutes, stirring occassionally till the mixture is slightly thickened.
- Switch off, add the almonds and the honey. Mix well and enjoy warm.
Assalamu Alaikum
Hey what is Assario seeds ?is it available in India
Waalaikumummalam… yes, very much available in India. Also called garden cress, halim in Hindi I suppose… It is called asaali in Malayalam…