Shahi Tukda

Shahi tukda is a famous gilt-edged dessert from north India. I made it as an instant dessert for my sweet toothed husband, so it is not the typical one but a easy and relatively healthy variant, I would say.

Ingredients:

1. Bread slices - 4
2. Gulkand - 3 tbsp
3. Butter/ Ghee - 2 tbsp
4. Almonds - a fistful
5. Milk - 250 ml.
6. Sugar - 2 tbsp
7. Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
8. Slivered or chopped nuts - 1 tbsp
9. Rose petals (Optional)

Method:

Step 1: Soak almonds in water for an hour and peel off the skin. Make it into a paste with some milk.
Step 2: Trim the edges of the bread slices by stacking them; then diagonally cut them to get symmetrical triangles.
Step 3: Smear ghee or butter generously on both the sides of the bread triangles and roast them on a simmered tawa to get crisp golden brown toasts; keep working on them so that they don't become tough and rusk-like.
Step 4: Bring the milk to boil and simmer to reduce it; once it becomes thick flavorful, add the almond paste, sugar and cardamom powder and reduce further until it gets a very thick flowy consistency.
Step 5: Now make four triangular gulkand sandwiches with thick layer of juicy gulkand.
Step 6:Arrange the sandwiches in the serving plate and pour the reduced flavored milk over them.
Step 7: Top with the slivered or chopped nuts.
Step 8: Serve as is or garnish with rose petals if available.

TIPS:
* The gulkand can be fried slightly if it is to thick to smear on bread; it contains sugar which loosens on heating.
* The traditional recipe requires the breads to be deep fried in ghee or oil and dipped in sugar syrup.
* You can roast the bread in microwave oven to get it evely roasted and it also helps to keep nil or minimum butter/ ghee.