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Doodh pauva
Chilled saffron milk with flattened rice
દૂધ પૌંઆ: chilled saffron milk with thin poha, set in the moonlight on Sharad Poonam
Sharad Poonam, the brightest full moon of the year, ends the Navratri season in Gujarat; families sing garba late into the night and leave a bowl of doodh pauva out under the moon, believing its rays make it healing, before eating it cold together. It is thin poha soaked in reduced, sweetened milk with cardamom, saffron and nuts, cooling, soft and lightly creamy, the Gujarati cousin of Maharashtra's Kojagiri masala doodh. Common mistake: adding poha to hot milk or too early, so it turns to porridge; chill the milk first and stir the poha in only 10–15 minutes before eating, when the flakes are soft but still separate. Chef's tip: simmer the milk down by a quarter before chilling; a little reduction gives body without needing cream.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the doodh pauva
- 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 2 ½ oz sugar
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 2 ⅛ oz thin poha (flattened rice)
- ½ oz almondsslivered
- ½ oz pistachiosslivered
- 1 tbsp charoli (chironji) seeds (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 4 ¼ cups full-fat milk to the boil in a heavy pan and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring and scraping the base, until reduced by about a quarter.
15 minStep 2: Stir in 2 ½ oz sugar, 1 pinch saffron strands and ½ tsp ground green cardamom, simmer 2 minutes, then cool and chill for at least 2 hours.
3 minStep 3: Rinse 2 ⅛ oz thin poha (flattened rice) in a sieve for a few seconds and drain.
1 minStep 4: Ten to fifteen minutes before serving, stir the poha, ½ oz almonds, ½ oz pistachios and 1 tbsp charoli (chironji) seeds into the cold milk. Set it in the moonlight if you like, then serve chilled in bowls.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does doodh pauva take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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