Recipe: Rabri | Welcomenri

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Recipe: Rabri

Rabdi is a classic, traditional Indian sweet. A rich dessert that is a mixture of thickened creamy milk and bits of malai (top of milk) that is lightly sweetened with sugar and flavored with saffron and cardamom powder. The making of authentic rabri recipe is a laborious process that requires cooking full fat milk over a slow flame till it reduces to a thick mixture. The key to a rich and creamy Rabri lies in the quality of milk used and simmering the milk over low flame. Always use full cream milk while making Rabdi.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Cooking time : 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings : As per Amount

Ingredients:

1.25 litres full fat whole milk, 5 cups
2.5 to 3 tbsp sugar or add as required
5 to 6 cardamoms, crushed or ½ tsp cardamom powder
12 to 15 saffron strands, crushed
1 tsp rose water or kewra water/pandanus extract
2 tbsp almonds and 2 tbsp pistachios, blanched & sliced

Procedure:

Recipe Rabri

Step 1

Take 5 cups or 1.25 litres of full fat whole milk in a thick bottomed kadai or pan & begun to heat the milk on a low to medium flame, till the milk starts to froth or form a layer of cream/malai on top.

Step 2

So when you will see the cream floating on top, then with a spatula, gently move the cream layer.

Step 3

Bring it towards the side of the pan and stick it to the pan.

Step 4

Keep on simmering the milk like this and collecting the cream layer on the sides.

Step 5

Meanwhile soak almonds and pistachios in hot water for 30 minutes. then remove their peels.

Step 6

Slice or chop them and keep aside. do keep a check on the simmering milk when soaking as well as slicing the almonds, pistachios.

Step 7

This process of collecting the cream layer has to be done many times. continuous simmering of the milk will bring the cream on top and you have to bring & stick it to the sides. in between also stir the milk gently on occasions, so that the milk does not get burnt from the bottom. if you do too much of stirring and if quickly, then you won't get the layers of cream in the rabri. you can also just thicken and scrape the milk solids from the sides like i have done for shahi tukda rabdi. but in this case you won't get the layers of cream or malai in the rabri. but both versions taste good.

Step 8

Once the milk reduces to half, then add 2.5 to 3 tbsp sugar. you can add sugar as per your taste.

Recipe Rabri

Step 9

Then add a 12 to 15 strands of crushed saffron and ½ tsp cardamom powder. stir gently.

Step 10

Continue collecting the cream and bringing it to the sides of the pan. also do stir the milk gently after you bring the cream towards the sides of the pan. if you don't stir the milk then there is a possibility of the milk getting browned or burnt from the bottom.

Step 11

After adding saffron, the color will change gradually to a yellow color as the milk keeps on reducing.

Step 12

When the milk gets reduced to ⅓ or ¼ of its original quantity, then switch off the flame. it took me about 1 hour 15 minutes on a low flame initially and medium flame towards the latter stage.