Shahi Tukda

Fiftieth Blog Post!

So finally, after 5 months, I have reached my 50^th post. I am literally on cloud nine! 🤩

Five months ago, when I was going to upload my first post, I was quite apprehensive. What is going to be the response? Will people regularly visit my blog? Will I able to post on a regular basis? Will I even be able to do it with my twins?

But after you guys welcomed me with open hands and a warm heart, I was overwhelmed 😍 . All those comments, the feedbacks, the likes and the shares just make me want to post a recipe every day (but where is the time?). Be it on instagram, facebook or on whatsapp, your sweet encouragements make me think why I didn’t start blogging earlier.

I really enjoy my new found friendship with fellow bloggers and food enthusiasts in Instagram. Irrespective of their age and fame, they make sure to like and comment in my post and never fail to bring a smile on my face. And the fact that people are trying out my recipes is truly inspiring and encouraging.

So for my fiftieth post, I want to treat you guys with a royal dessert, Shahi Tukda.

As royal as it sounds, Shahi tukda is the food for kings. Crispy bread, fried in ghee, dipped in sugar syrup, topped with creamy rabdi and chopped nuts. I usually prefer toasting the bread on the tawa to reduce the calories. Just make sure that the slices are toasted evenly. But being traditional (deep frying the bread) once in a while never hurts anyone😉 . The rabdi is what makes the dish divine. It is made using the traditional slow cook method. Though it takes some time, it’s worth the wait. The nuts make it richer. Make this on any occasion to brighten up the celebrations. It may seem like a lot of calories, but once in a while indulgence is not a sin.😋

Preparation time:  10 minutes| Cooking time: 30 to 40 minutes
Course: dessert| Cuisine: Indian                                                                            

Ingredients:

Bread- 8 to 10 slices

Ghee- for frying the bread slices

For sugar syrup:

Sugar- ½ cup

Water- ½ cup

For rabdi-

Full cream milk- 1 litre

Condensed milk (milk maid) - ¼ to ½ tin (I used nestle)

Almonds- a handful (cut into small pieces, save some for garnish)

Saffron threads- a pinch (soak in a tblsp of hot milk)

Method:

1.      First of all you need to air dry the bread slices. To air dry them place them on a plate and just leave it open at least for 3 to 4 hours. The bread will become dry. Don’t use moist bread as it tends to absorb lots of ghee while deep frying.

2.      Keep the kadai on stove and add one litre of full cream milk to it. Keep the flame on medium and boil it. Keep scratching the sides and keep adding the cream to the milk. This process takes quite a long time, but is worth it.

3.      When the milk quantity reduces to half, add the condensed milk. Let it boil for a minute or two.

4.      Then add the saffron soaked milk and chopped almonds. Keep boiling in medium flame throughout.

5.      When it reaches desired consistency, switch off flame and cool it. This is called the rabdi.

6.      Refrigerate the rabdi to make it cool.

7.      Now take the bread slices and cut the sides. Cut them further into two small triangles (refer pic below).

8.      Heat ghee in a kadai or frying pan and deep fry the bread slices until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a tissue papper.

9.      Now time to prepare the sugar syrup. Add ½ cup of sugar and half cup of water to a vessel. Let it boil for to 10 minutes. When it forms a single thread consistency switch off flame.

10.   Take the deep fried bread triangles and dip them in sugar syrup and take out immediately. Arrange them on a plate. Pour the chilled rabdi on them. Garnish with chopped nuts.

11.   Enjoy your royal dessert shahi tukda.

Notes:

·         Don’t forget to air dry the bread slices before deep frying, otherwise they tend to absorb lots of ghee. Another best option would be to toast the bread slices on tawa, using ghee. I usually toast them on tawa, for making shahi tukda, as it requires only less ghee compared to deep frying. As I had to click pictures for the blog, deep fried them this time.

·        Quantity of condensed milk depends upon your sweetness preference. Do remember that we will be dipping the fried bread slices in sugar, before pouring rabdi on them. That might become too sweet for some. So use condensed milk accordingly.

·        You can replace condensed milk with sugar for sweetness but adding condensed milk gives a creamy texture to rabdi.

·        Rabdi tends to become thick after cooling. And we will also refrigerate it, which will make a little thick again. So decide the consistency of rabdi accordingly.

·        While dipping the fried bread slices in sugar syrup, take care to just dip and take out immediately. Otherwise it might become soggy. It has to be crispy.

·        Don’t waste the bread sides. You can grind them and store in refrigerator and use it in place of bread crumbs in cutlets. Use it within the use by date of the bread.

Step by step pictures

 first air dry the bread slices on a plate

for atleast 3 to 4 hours

 soak a pinch of saffron in 

a tablespoon of hot milk

and keep ready.

 heat one litre  full cream milk in a kadai.

boil in medium flame

keep scratching the sides and 

keep adding the cream to milk

 when the milk is reduced to half

add condensed milk

keep boiling in medium flame

 then add the saffron soaked milk 

 add chopped nuts

boil till it reaches desired consistency

 switch off flame.

rabdi is ready

 cut the sides of the bread slices

further cut them into triangles

 deep fry it ghee until crispy

 make sugar syrup using 

1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water

boil till one thread consistency

dip the fried bread 

slices in sugar syrup.

take out immediately.

arrange on a plate and 

pour the rabdi on top 

garnish with chopped nuts.