Quick & Easy Shahi Tukday
Shahi Tukday is a delicious and one of the most ancient desserts that were served to the royal families. Today, this dessert is super popular amongst south Asians and is served at dawats, weddings, special events, and festivals like Eid and Diwali. This classic dessert is so loved amongst children too because of the soft and crispy texture. It is much similar to a bread pudding that we’re all familiar with. This is a quick & easy version of shahi tukday that is equally delicious.
The literal meaning for ‘shahi’ is ‘royal’ and ‘tukday’ means ‘pieces’. Deep-fried in ghee, then soaked in simple syrup, these mouth-watering royal pieces of bread are divine. Right after soaking the bread in the sugary syrup, we transfer the crispy and sweet bread pieced into a serving platter. Soon after, we pour over the delicious milky mixture and garnish with chopped-up nuts. It comes together so beautifully and the burst of flavors is enchanting as soon as you have the first bite.
What makes this Shahi Tukday recipe quick and easy?
My sister and I were craving Shahi Tukday one day. I am aware that this is a very specific craving but pretty sure something must have reminded us of this delicious dessert and we just had to have it. Anyway, we took it upon ourselves to make it and worked with whatever we had in the pantry and fridge. I started with making the sweetened milk then the simple syrup. While both of these mixtures were cooling down, I prepared the bread. The results were so amazing that our minds were blown!
The Sweetened Milk
Instead of cooking the milk for a long period of time to thicken and make rabdi. I used a combination of almost 4 types of milk, some sugar, and cardamom to create the main milky part of the dessert. And I believe keeping it simple and so easy gives this aspect of the dessert its own charm.
Simple Syrup
Simple syrup is one part sugar and one part water. It is basically a liquefied version of sugar used to sweeten smoothies, coffee beverages, and other sweet drinks. In this case, I used simple syrup for this important part of the recipe. I also add a dash of the secret ingredient, almond extract. It adds a bit more character and depth to this simple syrup. You’ll notice hints of this distinct flavor in every other bite when you eat this dessert.
TIPS:
I love crispy bread slices when I am having this dessert. For that, I ensure that all liquids are chilled before I start dipping the fried bread slices in them.
Also when soaking bread slices in simple syrup, make sure you are only soaking them for 10 seconds for crispy bread slices and 20 seconds for soft. I alternate between the two to make the dessert a combination of crispy and soft.
While the simple syrup and the sweetened milk cool in the fridge. Work on the bread by cutting off the edges and frying them in ghee. Let them rest on a paper towel until oil is drained. I also used Artisan bread the second time I made these Shahi Tukday because the bread is a lot more thick.
This recipe is such a classic but incredibly easy to make. Follow the recipe below and comment below to give me your feedback. Feel free to check out the recipe on Instagram and tag me if you share it.
Shahi Tukda
Ingredients
Sweet Milk
- ½ cup Water
- 1½ cup Whole milk
- ¾ cup Heavy whipping cream
- 1 can Evaporated milk 12 oz
- 1 can Condensed milk 14 oz
- 1 cup Sugar 1½ cups for extra sweet
- 4-5 cardamom pods cracked
Simple Syrup
- 1½ cups Water
- 1½ cups Sugar
- 1-2 tsp Almond extract
Fried Bread
- ½ loaf Artisan white bread (5-8 slices) remove edges and cut in half diagonally.
- 1 cup Ghee
For Garnish
- 1 cup almonds and pistachios crushed or chopped
Instructions
Sweet Milk
- Start with boiling 1/2 cup of water in a medium to a large saucepan.
- Next, set your flame to medium-low and add whole milk, heavy whipping cream, evaporated milk, and condensed milk.
- Once all liquids come to a boil, add 1 cup of sugar. (You can add 1.5 cups if you like your dessert super sweet).
- Now add 4-5 pods of cardamom and cook on medium to low heat. Make sure you’re stirring every 4-5 minutes.
- Cook for 1.5 hours or until liquid is well homogenized. Let it cool.
Simple Syrup
- In a separate saucepan , make some simple syrup by adding 1.5 cups of water and 1.5 cups of sugar. Bring to boil on medium to low heat until sugar is melted.
- Now for the secret ingredient: add 1-2 teaspoons of almond extract and let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
Fried Bread Slices
- Take 1/2 a loaf of bread or about 5 to 8 slices and cut the edges and cut each slice in half, if you haven't already.
- Next , heat up ghee or oil and fry on medium heat until bread is crispy to your liking. Start laying them out on a piece of paper towel to soak up the oil.
- Next, let the milk mixture and simple syrup cool in the fridge for an hour.
Assembling the dessert
- Now pick up each slice with the help of tongs and dip into the simple syrup until both sides are soaked. Lay each slice on a serving dish one by one. 10 seconds for crispy bread pieces and 20 seconds for soft. Alternate between the two for soft and crispy.
- Pour over the milk mixture over the fried bread on the serving platter and top with crushed almonds and pistachios.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Video
@cherishtheflavor Shahi Tukdas. Check out my IG for full recipe ##fyp ##foryou ##foryoupage ##pakistani_tik_tok ##pakistanirecipes ##easyrecipes ##recipeoftheday
♬ Cooking – Oleg Kirilkov
This was so easy to follow and came out absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again for a special occasion, or just to satisfy my own cravings. Yummmm!