I decided since I usually tend to not make myself useful to my mum during the festivals, this Dussehra I’ll surprise her a little by making myself useful. So I took up the humungous task of cooking up a sweet dish for my family. I used to have Shahi tukda when I was younger and was living in Uttar Pradesh. There was a very famous confectioner at the corner of the street where I was living, my father used to treat me to those Shahi tukdas anytime I achieved something in my life. Who would have had thought that bread could be this delicious?
Here’s the recipe that’ll make two things, one Shahi tukda and second your mum happy.
Ingredients:
- Oil for deep frying
- 8 slices white bread, crusts removed and cut into 4 squares
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons pistachio nuts
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 5 tablespoons evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 pinch saffron
How to make Shahi Tukda:
- Heat oil in a large saucepan. Fry the bread slices in the hot oil until deep, golden brown; drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Fry the cashews, almonds, and pistachio nuts in the hot oil until golden brown; remove from oil and set aside to cool. Chop roughly.
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil in a pan over medium-low heat; continue boiling until the volume of milk reduces by about half. Pour the evaporated milk into the pan and add the sugar, cardamom, and saffron; simmer together 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Arrange the fried bread pieces in a shallow dish large enough to allow them to be laid in a single layer. Evenly pour the milk mixture over the bread. Scatter the chopped nuts over the bread. Chill in refrigerator until completely cold, 1 to 2 hours.
- Bring them out from the refrigerator after an hour or two and then plate them up.
INDIAN COOKING WITH ME 