Shahi Tukda | Shahi Tukra

Originally I was supposed to post this recipe on the day of Eid. With a faulty wifi router in place, we had to spend the entire Saturday trying to find out a Service Center and get the router fixed. When I was back home, I had zero energy left that, forget posting this recipe I was ready to skip dinner and head straight to bed. Sigh. Anyway I digress.

I made this Shahi Tukda/Tukra last Friday evening and as soon as I said I am done clicking the pictures, S finished half of the dessert on plate. By the time I came back after putting away the camera, the plate was wiped clean 😀 It is such an awesome dessert that can be made from something as boring as bread. Seriously. Unlike the traditional way of deep frying the bread slices/tukdas, I toasted them in some ghee and they were as crisp and good as deep fried ones. The highlight of the dish is its richness. Lots of ghee. Dry Fruits and nuts. Milk concentrate and saffron rich sugar syrup – that’s why the name Shahi Tukda/Tukra.

To make Shahi Tukda | Shahi Tukra

Serves – 2

Time to prepare – 25 mins

What I used –

• Brown Bread Slices, 2
• Ghee, 1 tbsp
• Toned Milk, 1 cup
• Sugar, ½ cup
• Cashews, 5-6
• Almonds, 5-6
• Cardamom Powder, a pinch
• Water, ¼ cup

How I made –

1. Cut the brownish edges of the bread slices and cut each slice into four equal squares.
2. In a flat pan or tawa, heat half a tablespoon of ghee and place these cut bread slices. Keep the flame on medium low and let the bread slices sit for a min. Using a tong, flip over the bread slices and add the remaining amount of ghee all around the bread slices. Cook for another min. The bread slices should have golden browned on both the sides. Remove from heat. Let the bread slices stay in the pan until sugar syrup is ready.
3. In a pot, bring the sugar and water to boil. Reduce the flame and keep stirring occasionally. In about 3-4 mins, the sugar syrup should be of one string consistency. When you touch the sugar syrup between your index finger and thumb and gently pull the fingers apart, a clear thin string of the syrup should be formed. Remove the syrup from heat.
4. Meanwhile, in a pan bring milk to boil. Reduce the flame to medium low and keep stirring. In about 7-10 mins, the milk should reduce to half the original quantity. Add cardamom powder and stir well. Set aside.
5. Now the shallow fried bread slices should have cooled down. Add them into the sugar syrup one by one and let the syrup coat well on each slice. Remove it onto a plate.
6. On arranging the slices as per your preference, pour in the reduced milk concentrate on the bread slices.
7. Top it with finely chopped almonds and cashews.
8. Serve hot or cold as per preference.

Note –

• I noticed that the bread slices retained the crispness for a long time as I let them sit in the tawa unclosed until sugar syrup was ready.
• Do not dip the bread slices in the sugar syrup until the milk concentrate is ready. If you keep the sugar syrup and the milk for boil at the same time, timing works out well.
• If the consistency of the sugar syrup is not correct, bread slices will either become too soggy or too hard.