Rabri

Rabri
Photo Credits: Ravi Talwar

Classic, traditional Indian sweet loved in North India, Rabri is a perfectly proportioned combination of milk and sugar, thickened in a heavy bottomed vessel or wok without any extra thickening agent. Serve it hot, cold, as a pudding or as a topping for other desserts.

Ingredients

  • Full cream Milk                                   4 cups
  • Sugar                                                 1-1/2 tablespoon
  • Green cardamoms                              4
  • Saffron                                              Few strings
  • Almonds, chopped                              8 – 10
  • Pistachios, chopped                            6 – 8
  • Kewda or Rose Water                          2 – 4 drops

Procedure

  1. Pour milk in a wide heavy bottomed pan on medium heat and let it come to a boil. Once boiled, lower the heat and let it simmer.

Note: Always use heavy bottom pan for making Rabri to avoid milk from burning at the bottom.

  1. Stir occasionally with a flat spatula scrapping the bottom of the wok or vessel and after every 3 – 4 minutes shift the cream layer (malai), which forms on the top to the side of the vessel. Continue doing the same until the milk thickens and gets reduced by half.

Tip: Do not stir milk frequently otherwise malai will not form which is important in making rabri. Also, keep scraping the bottom of the vessel after every 3 minutes so that the milk does not burn at the bottom.

  1. Scrap malai from the sides of the vessel (even the dried bits) and add back into the simmering milk.
  2. The milk will reduce to 1/3rd of its volume in approximately 1-1/2 hours. Thereafter, add sugar and half of the chopped nuts. Stir well but gently and let the sugar dissolve.
  3. When it reduces to around 1/4th of its original quantity, turn off the heat and add cardamom powder and saffron strings.
  4. Pour Rabri into a serving dish, sprinkle rose water and garnish with rest of the chopped nuts
  5. Let it cool down a bit and serve warm. Alternatively, refrigerate it covered and then serve cold.

Preparation Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Serves: 2

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