This is a Bengali dessert. West Bengal is known for its sweets and desserts, and most of them are very sweet. I'm using half the amount of sugar in this one, but it's still sweet enough for my taste.

1/3 cup of basmati rice; washed, then dried
one liter of milk
a couple of cardamom pods
a few saffron strands
3 tablespoons sugar
a pinch of salt

Coarsely grind the the dried basmati rice to make rice flour. Add it to one cup of milk and set aside.

Heat up the remaining milk and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roast some cardamom pods, then grind them to a fine powder.

Add the rice flour/milk mixture to the hot milk and keep stirring to prevent clumping. Add the saffron. Continue reducing at low heat while stirring often until the phirni starts to become creamy. This may take a while. Now add the sugar, salt, and ground cardamom powder.

Continue reducing the phirni a bit more, then transfer it to several portion-sized dessert bowls. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge for a day, before serving.