Rabri (Milk Dessert with Pistachio)
Rabri is a favourite winter wedding dessert, which is usually accompanied by jalebi or gulab jamun. Both those desserts are warm and syrupy, while rabri is thick, cold and creamy. The key to perfect rabri is to source really good milk. Use full-fat milk; any milk that is creamier than that would be even better.
SERVES 4
● 1l full-fat milk
● 60g sugar
● ½ tsp seeds from green cardamom pods, crushed
● 1 tbsp rose water
● 3 tbsp unblanched shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
1 Heat the milk in a heavy-based pan over a high heat until it comes to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly to keep the milk at a steady rolling boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and leave the milk to simmer very gently, uncovered, for about 30–45 minutes, until the milk has reduced to one third of its original volume. When a skin forms, use a spoon to stick it to the side of the pan; you will need to do this repeatedly. Occasionally, you will have to stir the bottom of the pan to ensure that the milk does not catch.
2 Towards the end of the cooking time, add the sugar and the crushed cardamom seeds. When the milk has reduced, take it off the heat and use a spoon to push all the skins from the side of the pan back into the milk. Leave to cool slightly before adding the rose water.
3 Spoon into a serving dish and place in the fridge to chill, preferably overnight. Sprinkle the pistachios on top before serving.