Recipes>Dessert Recipes
Shahi Tukda
by Anurag Aggarwal from Indian Made Easy
Makes 8
These beautifully-decorated Indian desserts are a favourite for special occasions like Diwali. Topped with chopped pistachios and edible gold or silver leaf, they’re as pretty as they are delicious.
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Indian Made Easy
Anurag Aggarwal
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Introduction
‘Shahi tukda’ literally means ‘royal piece’. As the name suggests, this is a special dessert and has earned first place in this chapter. It is also deceptively easy to make, using only a few ingredients. Imagine a crunchy sweet base with a creamy, rich topping finished with vibrant nuts. What’s not to like?
Tags
Ingredients
| 1 tbsp | ghee |
|---|---|
| 200g (7oz) | ricotta cheese |
| 100g (3½oz) | granulated sugar, or to taste |
| ¼ tsp | saffron threads |
| 200ml (7fl oz) | evaporated milk |
| ½ tsp | green cardamom seeds |
| 8 medium slices of | soft white bread |
| oil, for frying | |
| 100ml (3½fl oz) | runny honey |
| milk, to loosen, if needed | |
| To decorate: | |
| finely chopped pistachios | |
| edible gold or silver leaf |
Method
In a heavy-based, non-stick pan, heat the ghee over a medium heat, then add the ricotta cheese. Using a rubber spatula, keep pressing and stirring it and very soon it will become a thick batter.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10–15 minutes, while stirring, until very thick, dry and grainy. Stir in the sugar, saffron threads and evaporated milk. Cook over a medium heat for another 5 minutes until you get a thick, batter-like consistency. Keep an eye on the heat – the mixture can burn very easily, which will result in a very bad taste.
Crush the cardamom using a mortar and pestle, then mix with the sweetened cheese mixture and remove from the heat.
Using a round cutter (8cm/3¼in in diameter), cut out a round from the middle of each bread slice. Heat some oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a low–medium heat, then add the bread rounds (in batches) and fry until they are golden brown on both sides.
Remove the fried bread using tongs and transfer to some paper towels to absorb the excess oil and keep hot while you cook the rest in the same way. While the fried bread slices are still hot, carefully drizzle some honey over both sides of each slice.
Arrange the honey-soaked crunchy bread on a platter, spoon some of the sweetened cheese mixture into the centre of each slice, then spread it so that it covers most of the top of each slice. If the sweetened cheese mixture has become too thick, stir in a little regular milk to make it spreadable.
Decorate the slices with a sprinkling of vibrant green chopped pistachios and a little edible gold or silver leaf. Cool, then chill in the fridge before serving.
Easy swaps: Maple syrup will work in place of the honey.
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