Shahi Tukda: A sumptuous dessert infused with cardamom and saffron

Shahi tukda is a cardamom-and-saffron-infused dessert that’s worth making “just for the spiced milk rabri alone,” writes Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma in her new cookbook, Good Food, Healthy Planet.   

As if that weren’t delectable-sounding enough, the dish is adorned with delicate rose petals. Chhitwal-Varma told CBC Life that she suggests looking for organic petals at your local Middle Eastern or South Asian supermarkets, or even harvesting them from your own backyard and drying them on a window ledge until curled and crisp. 

In lieu of dried blooms, you can also add a single drop of organically produced, food-grade rosewater to the rabri toward the end of the cooking process, she said. Just be sure to turn the heat off quickly “to retain the flavour and aroma of the flower.” 

Looking to make a vegan version of this sweet dish? Rather than swapping in a plant milk, Chhitwal-Varma said she’d skip the milky topping altogether. Instead, fry your bread in cardamom-infused olive oil in place of ghee, then top the bread generously (“think layer” she said) with crushed roasted pistachios. 

Shahi Tukda Made with Leftover Bread

By Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma

Literally translated as “royal serving,” shahi tukda is worth making just for the spiced milk rabri alone. The milk is gently simmered, infused with saffron, then sweetened and cooked for half an hour to reduce the liquid to an almost custardy mixture that can be enjoyed on its own or used in any number of ways. Rabri adds a bright sparkle to this recipe, in which bread slices toasted in ghee are covered with the spiced milk rabri mixture. Garnished with rose petals and chopped nuts, this is an exceptional dessert fit for royalty despite often being made with leftover pieces of bread.

Ingredients

• 7 cups whole (or 2%) milk
• 4 green cardamom pods, coarsely crushed, green husks discarded (or ½ tsp cardamom powder)
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ½ tsp Kashmiri (or Spanish or Iranian) saffron
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee
• ¼ cup sliced pistachios
• 6 slices white (or whole wheat) bread
• 2 whole green cardamom pods
• Rose petals to taste

Preparation

Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium-high and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low once you see rapid bubbles form. Add the crushed cardamom and cook the milk low and slow, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the bottom to prevent it from sticking and burning. Reduce the quantity of the mixture by half, about 30 minutes. Add the sugar and saffron and allow the mixture to infuse and simmer for another 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and set aside.

While the rabri is cooking, in a separate skillet, heat 1 tsp of the ghee on medium, turn the heat to low, and roast the pistachios until gently browned, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Prepare the bread by slicing away the crusts (use the sides for another recipe) and cutting it into triangles.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the ghee on medium and add the green cardamom pods to flavour the fat. Discard. Fry the bread in batches until the slices are pale brown. Add ghee as needed and avoid overcrowding the pan.

Arrange the toast in a shallow dish. Pour the warm rabri over them, allowing enough liquid to soak through the bread. Garnish with roasted pistachios and rose petals.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.

#GoGreen Tip

Use leftover gluten-free or whole grain bread and make this sumptuous dessert work for your family’s needs.

Makes 6 servings

Excerpted from Good Food, Healthy Planet by Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma. Copyright © 2024 by Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma. Reprinted with permission of TouchWood Editions.