Basundi recipe

 Basundi is a popular dessert in North India and is mainly enjoyed during any occasions or festivals. For making this recipe, we require a lot of patience to do but the outcome will be enjoyed by its delicious taste.

 This recipe is made mainly with milk and we all know that children need more calcium than adults. Once in a while during festivals or other occasions we can prepare this dessert instead of preparing regular sweets. Generally we use sugar for making this recipe, but I replaced regular sugar with rock sugar. Since rock sugar does not have that many chemicals than regular white sugar have. If RockSugar is not available try to use sulphurless sugar, which is easily available in Indian groceries now-a-days. I also used two table spoons malai(cream) collected after boiling and cooling of full fat milk.This makes our dessert more creamier and we can reduce the cooking time. You can skip this step, if malai is not available with you.

INGREDIENTS:

Milk - 1 liter (full cream or full fat milk)

Rock sugar powder - 3/4 cup 

Elachi powder - 1 tsp

Saffron strands - few (12 approximately)

Malai / Milk cream - 2 tablespoons

Nuts - 1/2 cup (I used Pista and Almond)

 PROCESS:

Preparation:

• First take rock sugar and pound it into small pieces using a hand pounder (mortar and pestle). Chop the nuts into small pieces. I used soaked and peeled almonds and pistachios. You can use any kind of nuts of your choice (cashews can also be used)

1) Now take a thick bottomed pan and boil the milk using a medium flame

2) Once the milk starts boiling, reduce the flame to low and it go back to its original state. Keep stirring in between otherwise milk become burnt at the bottom.

3) Repeat the process of boiling until the milk becomes 3/4 of its quantity, this process takes upto 15 minutes of time. Add sugar at this step.

4) Add malai(milk cream) at this stage. This step is optional.

5) Now add the chopped nuts and give it a good stir. After few minutes, the milk will become more thicker.

6) At this stage, add saffron and elachi powder and give it a good stir. Adding saffron gives good color 

7)The texture of milk will become more creamier and this whole process may take upto 30 minutes of time. Switch off the flame immediately as soon as you see large bubbles and chunks of malai coming together.

Now our Basundi is ready to be served. The dessert can be served either hot or cold. For serving cold, allow it cool for a minimum of 2 hours. After it becomes cool, keep the dessert in the refrigerator and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours.

For step-by-step procedure along with pictures, see below:

This is how rock sugar looks like. Make rock sugar into powder using a hand pounder.

Chop the nuts (I used almond and pista) into small pieces

Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan, I used stainless steel pan

Add malai(optional) only after the milk boils for a minimum of 3 to 4 times.

After the malai combines into the milk and boiling for 10 minutes add the chopped nuts.

The milk becomes more thicker and change into light yellow in color, at this stage add rock sugar powder and saffron.

When the milk is reduced to half add elachi 

Ather the milk becomes thicker and creamier, switch off the flame.

The dessert will become more thicker. So switch off the flame at this stage as shown in the video below.

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