Shahi Tukda / Royal Bread Pudding

Shahi Tukda, is a royal Indian dessert from the Moghul cuisine of the Nawabs. I remember first having this dish some 10 years back when my younger sister made it. I asked her for the recipe sometime back. But she had almost forgotten it. Putting together of what all she could remember the most, I made this dessert last weekend and relished it with my family. It is prepared with bread slices that are deep fried in ghee and soaked in thickened sweet saffron flavored milk and garnished with roasted khoya and dry fruits. It is very easy to make and perfect to go for a dinner party dessert. This can be served in two ways - cold and slightly crunchy and warm and immersed in milk. You can choose whichever way you'd like to make it and enjoy it with your loved ones.

Ingredients:-

• 10-12 slices of bread
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 ltr milk
• 400 ml condensed milk
• 100 gms khoya
• ½ tsp cardamom pdr
• ½ tsp rose essence
• a pinch of saffron
• ghee / clarified butter (for deep frying)
• handful of nuts - almonds, pistachios& cashews (finely sliced)

Method:-

• Cut the bread slices into half to form triangles.
• Heat ghee in a pan and deep fry on slow flame until both sides are brown and crispy.
• Remove and keep aside.
• In a vessel, take milk, sugar, condensed milk, saffron cardamom pdr, half of the khoya, rose essence and nuts. Cook on very slow flame stirring continuously until it thickens.
• Arrange half of the bread slices in a tray and pour half of the thickened milk over it.
• Arrange the remaining half of the bread slices on top of it and pour the remaining milk .
• Dry roast the remaining khoya and spread on top of the last layer.
• Garnish with finely sliced nuts.
• Refrigerate for at least an hour or two before serving.

Notes:-

• Do not use oil instead of ghee for deep frying the bread slices.
• If you like it warm, follow the same procedure, but just before spreading khoya add a thin layer of fresh cream and bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes @ 180 degrees Celsius.
• You may omit the fresh cream and the khoya if you want.
• You may use almond or pistachio essence instead of rose essence.

Happy Cooking!!

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