A survey carried out by Gilani Research Foundation and Gallup, crowned Kheer as Pakistan’s favorite wedding dessert, followed closely by Gajar ka Halwa.
A nationally representative sample of men and women from across the four provinces were asked, “In your opinion, what is the best sweet dish for a wedding function (whether the function is in the morning or the evening)?” In response, Kheer was preferred by 33% Pakistanis as a sweet dish for a wedding function.
#Festive #occasion or not, #rice #kheer it is!https://t.co/RRmzbvaLMI pic.twitter.com/UUNIOPQy2J
— Aziz Q Shaikh (@azizqshaikh) November 26, 2019
Another 32% Pakistan prefers Gajar ka halwa, 20% Pakistanis prefer Zarda, 9% prefer Doodh Dulari, and 4% preferred other sweet dishes. 2% did not know or did not respond.
Kheer is a national dessert which is a mandatory sweet dish in weddings and religious festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. The dish has become a connotation of happiness and celebrations.
Kheer, prepared from sugar, milk, and rice and garnished with almonds is an all-season favorite in Pakistan. Not only in Pakistan but Kheer is a crowd-pleaser across sub-continent. It would not be wrong to say Kheer is an eastern take on the rice pudding, which is popular across subcontinent since time immemorial. It was, however, the Mughals who introduced its garnishing with nuts and silver leaf.
Read more: Top 10 Eid-ul-Fitr dishes you should try at home
There exist two variations of rice puddings: Kheer and Firni. Kheer is a heavy and creamy, Firni is light and thinner in texture. Kheer has a pinkish color but Firni is of pure white color.
Now, people have introduced further variations; adding carrots and vermicelli in it. Kheer can be easily made in the home. People often prefer to get them served with rich and heavy garnishing to lure the taste buds away from dairy shops’ taste in the downtown area. It is often served with milk and kulfi as well to further enrich the taste.