Name: Shahi Tukda
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 White Bread, crusts removed, cut into triangles; ¼ cup Ghee, for deep or shallow frying the bread; ¼ cup Sugar, for the syrup; ¼ cup Water, for the syrup; ½ L Whole Milk, for Rabdi; 1½ tbsp Sugar, for Rabdi; ½ tsp Ground Cardamom, divided for syrup and rabdi; ½ pinch Saffron, soaked in warm milk; ½ tsp Rose Water, or Kewra water; ¾ tbsp Pistachios, slivered, for garnish; ¾ tbsp Almonds, slivered, for garnish; ½ pinch Dried Rose Petals, optional garnish

50 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 40 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

Add to your week

Method

Prepare the Rabdi: In a wide, heavy-bottomed pan, bring the full-fat milk to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frequently and continually scraping the cream (malai) from the sides back into the milk.
Continue the reduction process until the milk condenses to one-third of its original volume (takes about 30-40 minutes). Add the measured sugar for the rabdi, half the cardamom powder, and the saffron-infused milk. Cook for 2 more minutes. Set the thickened rabdi aside to cool.
30–40 min
Prepare the Sugar Syrup (Chashni): In a separate saucepan, boil the measured sugar and water. Simmer for 5 minutes until it achieves a tacky, sticky consistency (no thread consistency is required). Add the remaining cardamom powder and rose water. Keep the syrup warm.
5 min
Fry the Bread: Heat pure ghee in a flat, shallow pan. Fry the bread triangles on medium heat until they exhibit a deep golden-brown exterior and are exceptionally crisp on both sides.
Drain the fried bread slices carefully on paper towels to remove all residual ghee.
Dip the hot, crisp bread slices into the warm sugar syrup for 10 seconds on each side. They should take up the syrup but stay crunchy. Arrange them neatly on a serving platter.
10 sec
Ladle the thick, velvety cooled rabdi generously over the syrup-soaked bread pieces.
Do a sophisticated garnish using slivered almonds, pistachios, and dried rose petals.
Serve immediately to present the contrast of crunchy bread and soft rabdi, or chill prior to serving for a unified, softened dessert flavor.

How to tell it's done

The bread should keep a light crunch under the rabdi, while the milk topping stays thick, creamy and saffron-scented.

Getting it right

Tip

Fry the bread until crisp before dipping it briefly in syrup. If it sits too long in syrup, it turns soggy before the rabdi goes on.

What to serve it with

Serve shahi tukda after biryani, korma or an Eid meal, with slivered almonds, pistachios and dried rose petals.

Common mistakes

The bread collapses under the rabdi.: Fry it crisp in ghee, dip it in syrup for only a few seconds per side, and spoon on thick cooled rabdi.

Storing and reheating

Rabdi can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days. Assembled shahi tukda is best eaten the same day because the bread softens over time.

Besan Ki Barfi

Besan ki barfi roasts gram flour in ghee until it smells nutty, then sets it with sugar syrup.

35 minvegetarian

Besan Ladoo

Besan ladoo roasts gram flour in ghee until it smells nutty, then binds it with sugar and cardamom.

40 minvegetarian

Bihari Pedakiya

Bihari pedakiya is a Teej and Chhath pastry filled with roasted suji, dry coconut, powdered sugar and cardamom, then fried crisp.

55 minvegetarian

Bihari Thekua

Thekua fries a stiff wheat and jaggery dough into hard biscuits, made for Chhath.

45 minvegetarian

Bombay Karachi Halwa

Karachi halwa sets cornflour with sugar into a chewy, translucent block studded with nuts.

50 minvegetarian

Chhena Poda

Chhena poda bakes fresh chhena with sugar until the outside caramelises, an Odia sweet cooked slowly.

1 hrvegetarian

Ingredients