Kesar Badam Milk
Kesar badam milk simmers peeled almonds, saffron, cardamom, and milk into a creamy festive North Indian drink.
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2 hr 25 mintotal
25 min hands-on2 hr hands-off
Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- None
Ingredients
Quantities are for 2 servings.
You'll need: Stovetop.
Includes 2 hours of almond soaking time before peeling, grinding, and simmering with milk.
Method
Peel the soaked almonds. Keep a few almonds aside and chop them thinly for garnishing later.
Place the remaining peeled almonds in a small blender jar along with a little milk. Blend into a smooth, slightly coarse paste.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the rest of the milk on a medium flame.
As it begins to warm up, add the generous pinch of saffron strands and stir.
Bring the milk to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes until the color turns a beautiful pale yellow.
5 min
Add the prepared almond paste and stir well so it blends evenly into the milk.
Simmer for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the milk doesn't catch at the bottom.
4–5 min
Add sugar and cardamom powder. Stir for 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves completely.
2 min
Turn off the heat. Pour into cups or glasses.
Garnish with the reserved chopped almonds, slivered pistachios, and a few extra saffron strands.
Serve piping hot during winters, or let it chill in the fridge to serve as a cold summer drink.
How to tell it's done
Thick, creamy, highly aromatic, and pale yellow, interspersed with tiny, soft bits of ground almonds.
Nutrition
Per serving, from 2 servings.
373kcal
Where the calories come from
- Protein14.2 g15%
- Carbohydrate35.5 g37%
- Fat20.6 g48%
- Sugars
- 32.1 g
- Saturated fat
- 6.6 g
- Fibre
- 2.8 g
- Sodium
- 132 mg
- Potassium
- 579 mg
- Calcium
- 399 mg
- Iron
- 1 mg
Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.
Getting it right
Tip
Do not grind the almonds into a watery liquid; a very slight texture gives the milk a traditional almond bite.
What to serve it with
A traditional welcoming drink at Indian weddings. Delicious both hot or completely chilled.





