Blue Magic: Butterfly Pea flower Kheer

I’ve been a traveller since as far as I can remember. Born in a Defense Services home, we had to move to a new place every few years, and I loved it! New place, different food, new school & friends, the Change felt good! That’s the main reason I travel; Amongst others like spending time and making memories with those I love, experience the life, food and culture of places, practice and learn photography, get away from the routine of daily life… I LOVE to travel.

I started this blog almost a decade ago when I moved to Singapore and got my first digital camera, a Nikon D80. Having learnt photography on film, digital was a thrill! I could see, edit and share my photos instantaneously! And so I started this blog, to share my experiences as I travelled to far and new places.

This post is to celebrate a decade of travelling and blogging; a visual treat for your eyes and taste buds, a creation inspired by my love for travel, food and photography – Blue Kheer – a sweet rice pudding from India! The beautiful blue color is from the petals of a Southeast Asian – Butterfly Pea Flower.

Blue dried Butterfly Pea flowers and extract

As a traveller I like to immerse myself in the culture and food of the place, and learning to cook and appreciate Thai food has been an enriching experience I’ve had while traveling. It’s like creating art and has turned cooking into a fun & exciting way of life for me! Read more about my Thai cooking class – Cooking for the Soul. So I got some dried Butterfly Pea flowers from Thailand on my last trip and decided to make kheer, a classic Indian rice pudding made with milk and sugar.

Recipe: Blue Butterfly Pea flower Kheer

Boil flowers in water till the flowers lose all color. Soak rice in this blue extract for an hour.

Make kheer adding milk, sugar, soaked rice and the blue colored water till the rice is cooked. Serve cold garnished with dry or fresh fruits.

I used pomegranate and almonds; I love the crunchy texture of pomegranate combined with the soft mushy texture of the kheer; and those colors look gorgeous together!

Here’s a more professional recipe for kheer, just add the blue color extract.

You can use the blue extract to make visually impressive cocktails or drink just as floral tea. Add lemongrass and honey for added flavor, or squeeze some lime or any citrus juice and see the magic! The blue water turns purple! Here’s why!

Those shades of blue and purple! I poured the colored water in different containers from my kitchen and had fun taking pictures, in awe of how pretty it looked!

One of my favorite restaurants in Phuket is Bann Rim Pa at Kalim Bay on the quieter end of Patong beach, an elegant place with beautiful views of Patong Bay. ( Baan Rim Pa – Phuket’s finest in royal Thai cuisine) The Mango Sticky rice here is served with the rice in a shade of blue, extracted from Butterfly Pea flowers. My inspiration for the Blue Kheer!