At many of our stores during special rug events, we serve a traditional Pakistani rice pudding called kheer and Pakistani green tea to help our customers experience a bit of Pakistani cuisine and hospitality. Many rug artisans will invite their friends and family to celebrate the completion of their rug with a cup of tea and a dish of kheer.  Guests in Pakistani homes are offered Pakistani green tea within a few minutes of their arrival.

We are pleased to share our recipe with you and encourage you to share the story of the Oriental rugs and the fair trade difference at Ten Thousand Villages when you serve this special dessert.

Kheer

Ingredients:
1 gallon milk (any type)
1 c. basmati rice, washed & soaked
1 c. sugar
15-20 green cardamom (Break open and extract the black seeds and add the seeds only to the pudding.)

Stove top:
Mix all ingredients & cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. (about 1 1/2 hours)

Crock pot:
Put ingredients in the crock pot on high. Stir often until thick. (about 8 hours)

Top with chopped pistachios or almonds and serve hot or cold.

Pakistani Green Tea

Ingredients:
½ teaspoon green tea
4 cardamom pods crushed
Scant teaspoon white sugar
2 cups hot water

Put the green tea in a small pot. Add 4 crushed cardamom pods with a scant teaspoon of white sugar. Pour two cups of hot water into the pot and steep for 1 minute only. Serve entire liquid contents of the pot at once or pour away excess liquid since tea steeped longer than one minute becomes bitter. The tea leaves and cardamom pods can be used several more times with the addition of extra sugar and water.

    A vendor in Lahore serves kheer in
traditional clay pots which sit on a
block of ice to preserve freshness. 
Kheer may be served hot or cold
and may be found on almost any
street corner in Lahore.