Phirni is a traditional Indian sweet pudding which uses milk, sugar and rice. It usually has a granular texture and the rice is also replaced by other ingredients in some recipes. This recipe for Oats and Apple Phirni deviates from the traditional recipe and uses the sweetness from the apples to flavour the dish. Also, instead of rice, we use oats here. This is a good sweet to have for those who are on a no sugar or a diabetic diet. It does help with your sweet cravings.

Few things to keep in mind

• Apple: Apple has a good amount of soluble fiber called pectin which increases the satiety in the body. For this recipe, make sure you are grating the apple with the skin. So the only part of apple we discard is the core with the seeds.
• Oats: Oats are rich in fiber, protein, anti-oxidants and it helps diabetic patients to control the blood sugar.
• Milk: Use low fat or skimmed milk if this sweet is being prepared for someone on a low sugar diet. This is a healthy sweet for kids too. And when making for kids, you can use full fat milk. To make it vegan, replace the dairy milk with a vegan alternative like almond milk.

Recipe

Ingredient List

• Oats – 1/4 cup
• Red Apple – 1/4 cup, cored and grated (unpeeled)
• Low fat / skimmed milk – 3/4 cup
• Sugar/ Jaggery Powder/ Stevia – ½ tsp (optional, can skip this if apples are sweet)

Step by Step Process

1. Heat milk in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add oats and mix it well on medium flame for 2 min and stir continuously to avoid lumps.
2. Remove from flame and add the sugar or jaggery (if using) and mix well and let it cool a little.
3. Add the grated apple and mix well. Refrigerate and serve it cold.
4. Red apples are generally sweet, so I have not added any other sweetener to this dish whenever I have prepared it. It is a real quick and easy sweet and healthy for kids too. When making for kids, you can replace the skimmed milk with full fat milk too.