Mom would soak a few almonds the night before and blend the blanched almonds with a little milk and mix it with warm milk.This would be my first drink of the day.Sometimes I used to make a change in this routine and blend in a banana, a few seedless dates and have it as milkshake. It was a relief from the sweltering mid-day heat.
At the end of the third trimester I noticed my tresses were thicker and I had less hair fall. My skin was considerably better than before. Should I attribute this to my pregnancy hormones or to these nuts,or to both!!? I don’t know…..
But what I do know is that almonds have always been considered as symbol of luck, good health and good fortune.
Once upon a time they were considered to be too fatty and shunned by many. But the recent research has proved quite the opposite.
Almonds are packed with proteins and contain Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid [MUFA] – a health promoting fatty acid found to help reduce the incidence of heart diseases.
It also has Vitamin E which is an antioxidant and also the store house of zinc, selenium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, riboflavin, niacin and iron.It also has Folic acid which is very important when you are pregnant.
So in a nutshell -These nuts prevent cancer, protect against heart diseases, lower cholesterol,have anti oxidant properties, and are loaded with protein, minerals and Vitamins.
Last but not the least – a fact every lady would love to hear.Almonds too have their share of beauty aiding properties.It can be used as a mild bleaching agent when mixed with milk cream and ground with the paste of fresh rose petals. When applied daily, this paste keeps the skin fresh and young, delays onset of wrinkles, blackheads, dryness and even pimples. Almond oil can be used to soothe steam burns/inflammations.
The facts are just as fabulous as the nuts! It’s hard to understand that something that tastes so good can also be good for our health!!!
After finding a bag of these healthy nuts in the pantry,I decided to prepare a simple yet delicious Badam kheer.My initial plans were to bake a cake but after a lot of blog hopping and drooling and a pinch of laziness,I settled upon this kheer.[Yes,it was almost evening by the time I finished visiting my favorite blogs!]
Kheer from North India is similar to south Indian payasam and this badam kheer is also a famous Pakistani dessert!
I used:
Almonds/Badam – 25 numbers
Milk – 3 cups
Sugar-3 teaspoons
Cardamom powder- a pinch
Saffron- a few strands,soaked in a teaspoon of warm milk
Pista nuts to garnish
- Put the almonds into a bowl with water and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
- Remove from microwave and when cool enough to handle,slip off the skin.
- Grind the blanched almonds to a smooth paste adding a little water.Take care not to make it watery.
- Meanwhile heat milk in a deep vessel microwave milk on high for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar,almond paste,cardamom powder and saffron.Mix well.
- Microwave on high for 5 minutes ,stirring once in between.
- Let it stand for a couple of minutes before you remove it from the microwave.
- Serve warm or chilled garnished with roughly chopped pista nuts.
Note:
- You can microwave a little longer to get a thicker version of badam keer.
- I had very few strands of saffron remaining and they they were not sufficient to impart color to the kheer but the taste was excellent with a hint of saffron!
- You can also add 1/4 cup cream during the last minute of cooking and get a creamier kheer.
- Adjust sugar to suit your taste.
Updated:Sending this to Food for 7 stages of life-4th edition,hosted by Radhika and Sudeshna
With this lovely kheer I wish all my friends,well wishers and my blogger buddies-
Thanks for the post..Looks delicious.
John
Fresh Rose Petals
I love almonds, very nutritious ..Kheer looks very delicious.
Ultimate kheer, my all time fav..