Sharad Purnima is a harvest festival of Hindus that is joyfully celebrated every year on the full moon day of Ashvi month, marking the end of the monsoon season. It is one of the most significant days in Hindu calendar where on this day, the moon beams the brightest in the whole year, bringing the nectar of peace, joy and love along with ultimately showering its divine blessings upon us and our mother earth. It is also believed that on this auspicious day, a full moon appears in all the sixteen kalas. To celebrate this day with utmost fervour, people unite together to worship the divine pairs of Radha Krishna, Shiva Parvati and Lakshmi Narayan, alongside the moon by offering a bunch of flowers and a special kheer as a part of a blog. It is customary to prepare a special kheer which is kept under the moonlight all night long and this kheer is then served as prasad and enjoyed with the entire family the next day. This is done as a part of tradition and an old ritual that has been followed by people since thousands of years ago. It is believed that the rays of moonlight enrich the kheer, making it pure and healthier for us to relish.
In India, every festival seems incomplete without relishing the taste of kheer. Kheer is a quintessential Indian sweet dish that is prepared in milk and flavoured with cardamom, dry fruits, nuts and sugar with a touch of kesar. People belonging from different states prepare delicious varieties of kheer. While most people prepare a rice kheer, those from the Southern states of India sweeten their day with a creamy bowl of special poha kheer.
How is poha kheer prepared?
Poha kheer is a unique variety of kheer that is wholesome and rich in flavours and deliciousness. Poha kheer is prepared in the same manner as every other kheer with the only difference of making it with flattened rice (poha). The flattened rice is dipped in simmered milk and flavoured with sugar, cardamom and kesar and garnished with dry fruits. If you wish to make it at home, click here to know the full recipe of poha kheer.