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{{Short description|Sweet pudding dish from Indian subcontinent}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Kheer
| image = Kheer.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = A bowl of kheer
| alternate_name = ksheeram, doodhpak, meetha bhat (sometimes misunderstood as mayasam)
| country = Ancient India
| region =
| creator =
| course = Dessert
| served =
| main_ingredient = Rice, milk, sugar, [[cardamom]], [[jaggery]], [[saffron]], [[pistachio]]s or [[almond]]s
| variations = [[Vermicelli]] (semiya) kheer, [[Barley]] kheer, kaddu ki kheer, paal (milk), payasam, payesh, chhanar payesh (payesh made with chhana or paneer)
| calories = 249
| other =
| type = Pudding
}}

'''Kheer''', '''khir''' or '''payasam''' is a [[pudding]] or [[porridge]] (specifically [[rice pudding]]) popular in the [[Indian subcontinent]], usually made by boiling [[milk]], [[sugar]] or [[jaggery]], and [[rice]]. It can be additionally flavoured with dried fruits, nuts, [[cardamom]] and [[saffron]]. Instead of rice, it may contain [[cracked wheat]], vermicelli ([[sevai]]), [[sago]] or [[Tapioca#Tapioca pearls|tapioca]] (sabudana).

In Northern India, it is made in various ways. The most popular versions are the ones made with rice and [[vermicelli]] (semiya).

==Etymology==
The word ''kheer'' is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''[[kshira]]'' (क्षीर), which means [[milk]] or a milk-based dish. Kheer is also the archaic name for sweet [[rice pudding]].
The word ''payasam'' used in [[South India]] for kheer originates from the [[Sanskrit]] term ''pāyasa'' (पायस), which means "milk" or a dish made from milk. This term evolved into various regional languages, including [[Malayalam]] (പായസം, pāyasaṁ), [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (పాయసం, pāyasaṁ), and [[Tamil Nadu|Tamil]] (பாயசம், pāyacam).

==Origin==

It is said to have originated initially in South India thousands of years ago. The story is titled "The Legend of Chessboard" in [[Kerala]], an old sage in the form of Krishna challenged the king of Ambalapuzha (chess enthusiasts) to play chess. To motivate the sage, the king offered anything that the sage would name. The sage modestly asked just for a few grains of rice but under one condition: the king has to put a single grain of rice on the first chess square and double it on every subsequent one.

[[Krishna|Lord Krishna]] (the sage) won the game and the king started placing the grains. As he stacked them, he was shocked to see the number grow exponentially. In the end, the number came up to trillions. Krishna reveals himself and asks the king to provide kheer to every pilgrim who comes to his temple there. The [[Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple|Ambalapuzha Krishna]] temple still follows this and it is located in Kerala's Alappuzha district.

According to the food historian [[K. T. Achaya]], kheer or ''payasam'', as it is known in southern India, was a popular dish in [[ancient India]]. First mentioned in ancient Indian literature, it was a mixture of rice, milk and sugar, a formula that has endured for over two thousand years. ''Payasam'' was also a staple [[Hindu]] temple food, in particular, and it is served as ''[[Prasāda]]'' to devotees in [[Temple|temples]].

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Mixed Dry Fruit Kheer - Home - Chandigarh - India - 00011.jpg|Kheer topped with dried fruits and nuts
File:Rice pudding also called payasam or kheer.jpg|Kheer
File:Paal payasam.JPG|Paal payasam
File:Milk kheer.jpg|Kheer with vermicelli (called seviyan kheer, semiya payasam or [[shemai]])
File:Semiya Payasam Vermicelli Kheer.jpg|Vermicelli kheer
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Porridge]]
* [[Phirni]] – a dessert made with ground rice or rice flour cooked in milk and eaten chilled
* [[Shir Berenj]] – Persian rice pudding
* [[Doodhpak]] – Gujarati rice pudding
* [[Shemai]] – Bengali vermicelli pudding
* [[Sheer khurma]] – Persian vermicelli pudding

{{Navboxes|list1 =
{{Bangladeshi dishes}}
{{Indian Dishes}}
{{Pakistani dishes}}
{{Puddings}}
{{Rice pudding}}
}}
{{portalbar|Food}}

[[Category:Pakistani rice dishes]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi rice dishes]]
[[Category:Indian rice dishes]]
[[Category:North Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:Muhajir cuisine]]
[[Category:Bihari cuisine]]
[[Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine]]
[[Category:Indian desserts]]
[[Category:Nepalese cuisine]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi desserts]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Odisha]]
[[Category:Rice pudding]]
[[Category:Telangana cuisine]]
[[Category:Hyderabadi cuisine]]
[[Category:Punjabi cuisine]]
[[Category:Fijian desserts]]
[[Category:Kerala cuisine]]
[[Category:Tamil cuisine]]
[[Category:Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:Pakistani cuisine]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan cuisine]]
[[Category:Indo-Caribbean cuisine]]
{{二次利用|date=13 July 2025, at 09:46}}

Kheer/en - Revision history

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