Makhane ki Kheer (Fox nut pudding)

Its interesting how I am getting to know the English names of ingredients while blogging. If someone had mentioned "Fox nut pudding" to me before this post, I would have thought it to be some English dish with a rare ingredient not seen in India :-) I would be calling it with the name I am familiar with, henceforth in this blog :-) "Makahane ki kheer". I had been aching to make a dessert since long but somehow other things always came up first. So when mom-in-law talked about her plans of making it today I seized the opportunity and her recipe too :-) Now there are different ways to  making a kheer, some use condensed milk, some don't. I am using milk powder and few more stuff which give a rich and granular consistency to the kheer and makes it taste like "rabri". I have attempted it first time this way and got a "YUMMMY" response from folks at home. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1.5 ltrs of whole milk
1 cup Milk powder
3/4 cup Sugar
Makhana (Fox nut) - 1 cup + 1/2 cup for grinding
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
3 tsp White Poppy seeds
3 tsp Melon seeds
Almonds 4 tbsp for grinding+3 tbsp slivered for garnishing
2 tbsp Raisins

Method:
Dry roast the Makhana on low flame for 3-4 minutes till they change colour to light brown. Remove the hard black skin from Makhanas if any.Grind together 1/2 cup Makhana, Poppy seeds, 4 tbsp Almonds and Melon seeds.In a thick bottomed vessel, heat the milk on medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low.Add milk powder. Mix well to remove lumps. (Tip to avoid lump: You can take out some Milk from the vessel, mix milk powder in this with a fork. Add it back to vessel)Add Makhana powder from step#2. Mix.Add rest of the whole Makhanas.Let the Milk simmer till it reduces to half its quantity and becomes paler in colour. Stir often so that milk does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add Cardamom powder and Sugar. Mix well and let it simmer for few more minutes.Switch off the flame. Add Raisins.Let it cool down a bit. The consistency of the Kheer will thicken.Garnish with slivered Almonds. Serve hot or chilled.