Aug 22, 2019 Sep 6, 2024 by [Archana Potdar] · This post may contain affiliate links · 54 Comments

Bhagari Chi Kheer Recipe

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Bhagari Chi Kheer or Bhagar Payasa, sweetened with jaggery, is a deliciously creamy, gluten-free dessert. It is a low-fat and healthier version of Payasam.

It is popular when fasting for Janmashtami or during the Navratri season. Serve it as a dessert with your regular meal or as a side dish with flatbreads like poori or chapati; the options are endless and creative.

Need a Kheer without dairy milk? You can enjoy the Goan Mangane or Mooga Kann made from coconut milk. I have made this same Vrat ka chawal millet payasam recipe with coconut milk. It's perfect for vegans and lactose-intolerant individuals.

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Ingredients for Bhagar Payasa
Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
Protips
FAQ's for Bhagar chi Kheer
The other Kheer recipes
Bhagari Chi Kheer Recipe

A little about Kheer

Payasam, as it is also called, is a sweet pudding, made with a variety of ingredients. The classic Semiya or vermicelli payasam and chawal ka kheer are popular. Pantry ingredients like rava or semolina, sago and moong dal can also make this delicious dessert. Have you tried using carrots, bottle gourd or peas? Cooking them in milk and a sweetener is a great way to enjoy seasonal vegetables.

Millets are very healthy and gluten-free grain they are ideal for diabetics, geriatrics and even for you and me. You can check my Little Millets Khichidi recipe for more information about millets. I love millet and try and include it in every possible thing. So we have the regular bhagar and amti, Kababs, dosa.

Our celebrations in Dharwad

In Dharwad, many traditions are age-old. On Festive occasions, we still have our meal on banana or petal leaves placed on the floor. It is challenging for most people to sit on the floor and eat from the leaves, but yes, the food from the leaves tastes terrific.

In this sit-down meal, we are served food in order, like salt, lemon, a chutney, kosambri, gojju, palya, rice dal, and payasam, with each item having a designated spot. Then, many more delicious recipes follow.

After a short prayer, we started our meal. Payasam or payasa is an integral part of the South Indian Festive Meal. The offering to God as Prasad or bhog is payasa, as we call it. Hence, it is the first thing you eat; the quantity is little, about a tablespoon of payasa, served.

This is what un cooked or raw Bhagar looks like

So, shall we start making our sweet dessert for the coming festival season?

Ingredients for Bhagar Payasa

Bhagar: Use fresh and good quality of today's star ingredient.
Water: Ordinary tap water to cook the bhagar.
Jaggery: I am using jaggery as a sweetener. Use powder organic jaggery if you prefer.

Ghee: Or clarified butter, of course. Homemade is  the best, but use whatever you have at hand.
Milk: I use dairy milk that has 6% fat content.
Cardamom: Green cardamom or powdered elichi to enhance the aroma.
Nuts and raisins: for garnish.

How to make Bhagar Sweet Pudding

Boil and thicken the milk in a thick-bottomed pan.
Meanwhile, wash and rinse the bhagar millet using a sieve under running water. Set aside.
Pressure cook the millets for 3 whistles. Let the pressure come down naturally.
Dissolve the jaggery in 1 cup of water.
Add the jaggery water to the cooked millet. Add water to adjust the consistency. (I needed about 2 and ½ cups.)
Add the cardamom powder, cool completely and add milk.
Garnish with fried nuts and serve.

Tip: as it cools, the Kheer will thicken.

Substitutions

Clarified butter: My go-to is ghee or clarified butter, but you can try using coconut oil to fry the nuts.
Jaggery: You can use sugar in place of jaggery. In that case, add the milk and sugar to the cooked millet and bring to a boil to the desired consistency.
Milk: Use plant-based milk like coconut milk. Condensed milk makes the Kheer nice and creamy. If uisng it cut down on sweetener.

Equipment

Sieve
Pressure cooker
Kadhai/wok
Spoons and Ladles

Storage

I will not recommend storing the millet pudding for more than a day especially if using dairy.
However, store the sweetened millet in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week. Add hot milk to the required quantity of sweetened millet and enjoy.

Protips

When making pasayam with jaggery, wait till it cools down then add milk. This will prevent the milk from splitting.
For vegans, fry the nuts in coconut oil and use any plant-based milk of your choice.
This recipe is gluten-free and perfect for toddlers, geriatrics, and lactose-intolerant people. I will hold back on the nuts for toddlers and geriatrics.

FAQ's for Bhagar chi Kheer

What is Bhagar?

Bhagar is a millet and is called so in Marathi. In English, it is Barnyard Millet. In Kannada, it is called Oodalu. In Hindi, it is called Sanwa or Vrat ke chawal.
How is Kheer made?

To generalise, kheer is made by boiling milk and sugar in either rava, rice, sago, vermicelli, carrots, bottle gourd, or many other non-citrus fruits.
Generally, flavoured with cardamom and garnished with raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios, and almonds.
What ingredeints can be used to make Kheer?

The varieties and regional preferences are amazing; from carrots to bottle gourd, poha to jackfruit are used to make this delicious Indian Pudding.
When do I serve Kheer?

Kheer can be served during the meal as an accompaniment. We enjoy kheer poori as the main dish for festivities. It can also be served last as a dessert. Serve it cold in summer and hot in winter.
Is payasam good for health?

Yes, it is so good that when infants are weaned, it is the first food fed during the ceremony. The ingredients used are the best natural ingredients, and since it is gluten-free, it can be enjoyed and assimilated easily.
What are the different names of Indian kheer?

The various names this delicious Indian Pudding has are Firni or Phirni, Payasam, Payasa, khīr, kiru, payesh,faesh, payox, or Paays, dūdpāk.
What is the difference between Kheer and Payasam?

There is no difference between Kheer and Payasam. In North India, it is called Kheer; in South India, it is called Payasam. In South India Jaggery and coconut milk are commonly used.

The other Kheer recipes