My cousins and I have this group on WhatsApp, where a bunch of us banter good naturedly about everything under the sun. Sometimes it’s about the world news and weather. Other times, it’s about family and schoolwork. Basically, anything at all. Because we’re all connoisseurs of good food (at least we like to think so), food is a main topic of discussion among us. A lot of my cousins live close to each other and one day my aunt hosted a friendly cooking competition, where Chikoo Pirni won the prize.
Now let me tell you something about Chikoo Pirni – it’s a family favorite, loved and devoured by all of us. Phirni is essentially an Indian pudding. Something happened along the way, where our clan dropped the fa sound, which resulted in it being called Pirni instead.
Anyhow after that dish won, one thing led to another, and soon we started wondering about who introduced this recipe to our family in the first place. We had a few ideas on how it may have started, but none of us knew all the details. Since I love a good story, I called up and asked my mom about it. She tells me that once upon a time, her mother, during her travels, encountered this delightful dessert at a person’s house. When she got back home, she decided to make her version of it, and it has since become a family staple.
Unfortunately, I have to use frozen chikoo since fresh isn’t available to me, but the flavors still bring back delightful memories. My darling sister-in-law sent in these pictures, so you all could see how the ‘real’ one turns out. If you’re blessed enough to get some fresh chikoo where you live, then I urge you to try this recipe.
Here’s how it’s made :
- In a saucepan, soak 1/2 cup of semolina in one cup of water for 15 minutes.
- Peel, de-seed and chop 2 large chikoos. Or use 1.5 cups frozen and thawed chikoo.
- Put the saucepan on medium heat. Add 1 cup of whole milk , a little bit at a time to the semolina, keep stirring.
- Add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low.
- Add an additional 1 cup of whole milk and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of pudding, about 15 minutes.
- Put in the chopped chickoo. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add one tbsp of butter. Turn off heat.
- Transfer to a shallow dessert dish. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
(pirni made using fresh chikoo)
(pirni made using frozen chikoo)
Note : You could substitute 1/3 cup of soaked dates or figs instead of chikoo. Or fresh fruits such a strawberries or peaches.
For a richer dessert, substitute 1/2 cup heavy cream for 1/2 cup of milk.