Who doesn’t like warm toasted buttery bread with warm sweet milk?
Shahi tukra.. One of my many favorite Indian desserts ( and why not ). “Shahi Tukda is pieces of crisp fried golden brown coloured pieces of bread served with a sweet milk called rabdi which is thickened milk and flavoured with cardomom, saffron and nuts. It literally translates to royal piece. If The dish is so royal it certainly deserves a special place on the table.
I know I am beginning to sound repetitive saying this dessert is my favorite but hey I love my desserts and each has its special time and place.
This recipe is pretty much the easy way to do this, using condensed milk brings down the time consumed to prepare it and saves having to stand by the stove constantly stirring it. You could use more milk and sugar and do it the traditional way but hey this works best for me.
so here goes
white Bread slices
4-5
Full fat Milk
1 liter
Ghee
To fry the bread
Sweetened Condensed milk
1 can – 400 gms
Cardamom powder
1 tsp
saffron
A pinch
Nuts chopped (pistachio, almonds)
To garnish
Do not fear the frying of bread in ghee, you don’t have to deep fry it you can shallow fry with only as much ghee as you like but at the same time you cant skimp on it as well.
So cut the bread slices in desired shapes, remember to take off the crust as well.
Now heat a pan and add ghee, place the bread slices and fry each side till its crisp and golden brown. Both sides have to be fried evenly. And arrange them on a plate which you will be to serving in.
Fry the chopped nuts in a little bit of ghee,( I know I know…..) and keep aside for garnishing.
Take a pan, pour the milk and bring it up to a boil, add in the cardamom powder and slowly keep stirring on a medium flame and reduce the milk by at least 1/4th
Pour in the condensed milk and stir constantly till it’s nicely mixed. Keep stirring as it has a tendency to catch on the bottom. Mix saffron with a little milk and keep aside so it has time to release its color.
At this point, the milk should have a slightly thicker consistency, check for sweetness, add in the saffron.
Take off the flame and pour into a jug if using later.
To serve, pour the warm milk on top and around the bread and garnish with the fried nuts.
take a spoon, dig in and enjoy….