- Clean and rinse the rice nicely. Soak the rice for 10-15 minutes in normal room temperature tap water. 
- In a heavy bottom pan, add the milk. 
- Bring the milk to boil stirring in between. 
- Add rice, once the milk is hot or has just started coming to a boil. (This would take 10-15 minutes on slow and in that time your rice would have been soaked) 
- Let the rice cook on slow to medium stirring in between. 
- Keep on stirring the milk and rice mixture so that the it does not stick to the bottom. 
- Stirring in between also helps to add the cream formed on the top to mix again in the milk. 
- Keep on scraping the sides of the pan for milk solids that gets stick to the sides. Do add that to the milk again. 
- The cooking of the rice will take around 40-45 minutes on slow, so be patient. Do not rush or else you will burn the milk. 
- Add the sugar and mix it again till all the sugar is dissolved. 
- Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. 
- Now in a bowl add a pinch of saffron and add a tablespoon of kheer. 
- Give this a mix and add this to the kheer. 
- Switch off and now add the cardamom powder and almonds if using. 
- If using Kewra water add 1 teaspoon after the mixture cools down a bit. 
- Garnish with saffron, pistachio, rose petals, or as required.