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Chak-Hao Kheer (Manipuri Black Rice)
Manipur's festive black-rice kheer: aromatic chak-hao simmered in milk until it turns a deep purple, scented with cardamom and bay leaf.
- Region
- Manipur
- Status
- Adaptation — milk powder added; sugar reduced
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Soak 3 h · Cook 40 min
- Serves
- 3 (about 230 ml each)
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Festive dessert, served warm or chilled
- Tags
- Good source · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free
- Allergens
- Milk, tree nuts (cashew)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- <1 g
Headline values are per serving, as written.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Added sugar | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As written | 250 | 11 g | 35 g | 8 g | 4 g | <1 g | 21 g | 8 g | 4.0 g |
Good source. Black-rice values use IFCT brown rice as a proxy (chak-hao has no IFCT entry). Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 15 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 50 g chak-hao (Manipuri black rice), soaked 3 hours
- 600 ml toned milk · 20 g skimmed milk powder · 25 g sugar
- 1 bay leaf · ¼ tsp cardamom powder · 10 g cashews, chopped
Method
- Drain the rice and crush it lightly with your fingers or pulse once in a mixer, so it cooks creamy.
- Simmer the rice with 200 ml water and the bay leaf, covered, for 15 minutes until mostly soft.
- Add the milk (whisked with milk powder). Simmer uncovered on low for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until the grains are tender and the kheer is thick and purple.
- Add sugar and cardamom; cook 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- Top with cashews. Serve warm or chilled.
Protein optimisation
- Milk supplies 6 g per serving, milk powder 2.5 g, black rice 1.5 g, cashews 0.5 g.
- Boost: increase milk powder to 40 g (+2.5 g protein, +25 kcal per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Assamese black-rice payas with jaggery in place of sugar.
- Substitution: if chak-hao is unavailable, use red matta or brown rice (different colour and flavour).
- Storage: 2 days refrigerated; loosen with milk.
- Food safety: refrigerate within 2 hours.
- Meal prep: good.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com