💬 Kheer has to be warm and I won't discuss it

My aunt made kheer for my cousin's engagement last month. 4 hours on the stove, I watched. Then she put the whole vessel in the fridge, and 2 hours later I was served a cold brick. I asked her very politely if mine could be warmed up. The whole room went quiet. My uncle said, nobody eats it warm, it's a dessert, not soup. I nearly left right there. Warm kheer has a smell that hits before the spoon does. Cardamom, milk, a bit of burnt sugar. Cold it's just sweet, and thick, and it sticks to the bowl. You can turn it upside down. The cashews go soft in the fridge too. In a warm bowl they still crunch a little. At home we ate it after lunch in small steel bowls. Nobody ever thought of a fridge. I'm a developer, so I tried to prove it. I asked 6 people at my office to taste both. I brought a box from home, warmed half in the pantry microwave and kept the other half cold. 3 chose warm, 2 chose cold, and 1 said he's allergic to milk. Not much of a test. Still, 3 beats 2. I told my aunt the result and she rolled her eyes. She says her kheer is made for everybody and I should shut up and eat it. Fine. On the hot days in May I will take it cold, and I'll hate it a little less. But in winter, or after a good dinner, serve it warm. Please. I'm asking nicely. She's making it again for Eid. I've already offered to carry the pot and warm it myself.

A cold brick after 4 hours on the stove is a tragedy, and the room going quiet made me laugh. Warm kheer with cardamom is how my grandmother served it, and she sprinkled a few chopped almonds on top at the last minute.

I'm on the cold side. Straight from the fridge after dinner, with a spoon and no plate. My grandmother used to scold me for it because she said the cardamom smell disappears when it's chilled. She's right, but I like how thick it gets. It's almost like a pudding that you can cut. Your office taste test, 3 for warm and 2 for cold, is hard to argue with. I'll try it.