Basant Panchami Special: Traditional Saffron Rice Kheer Ready in Just 10 Minutes Using a Pressure Cooker

Basant Panchami, the festival dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, is incomplete without a traditional sweet offering. On this auspicious occasion, yellow-colored dishes such as saffron rice kheer hold special significance and are considered sacred for the bhog.

While traditional kheer requires hours of slow cooking to achieve the right texture and flavor, popular culinary expert and YouTuber Nisha Madhulika has shared a quick and easy method to prepare kesariya chawal ki kheer in just 10 minutes using a pressure cooker—without compromising on taste.

Why Yellow Foods Matter on Basant Panchami

The color yellow symbolizes knowledge, prosperity, and positivity, making saffron-infused dishes an integral part of the festival. The recipe ensures the same rich, creamy texture usually achieved through prolonged cooking.

Quick Preparation Method

Small-grain rice is washed and soaked for 20 minutes, while a few strands of saffron are infused in warm milk to extract color and aroma. In a pressure cooker, ghee is heated and dry fruits such as cashews, almonds, raisins, and coconut are lightly roasted along with cardamom seeds to enhance flavor.

The soaked rice is then sautéed briefly in ghee before adding full-cream milk and saffron-infused milk. The cooker is closed and cooked for one whistle only, significantly reducing cooking time.

Achieving Traditional Richness

Once the pressure releases naturally, additional hot milk and fresh cream are added to the kheer and simmered for a few minutes. This step gives the dessert a thick, velvety consistency similar to slow-cooked kheer. Sugar is added at the final stage to ensure the rice grains soften perfectly.

Perfect Festive Offering

The result is a fragrant, creamy, and authentic saffron rice kheer, ideal for Basant Panchami bhog and festive gatherings. This one-pot recipe is especially useful for those looking to prepare traditional sweets quickly without losing their cultural essence.

With minimal effort and maximum flavor, this quick pressure-cooker method brings the joy of tradition to modern kitchens.