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Rabri
Thickened sweet milk
रबड़ी: UP-style thick rabri of milk simmered for over an hour, its skins of malai gathered in layers, sweetened with cardamom and saffron
Halwais in Mathura, Varanasi and Lucknow make rabri in wide iron kadhais, fanning the surface so a skin forms fast, then pushing each layer of malai to the cooler sides of the pan. After an hour or more, the milk has shrunk to a quarter, and the layers are scraped back in to give a thick, spoonable sweet full of soft, chewy ribbons of cream. It is much thicker than Gujarati basundi, which is stirred smooth. Rabri is served chilled in kulhads, or spooned over hot jalebi or malpua at Holi, the hot-cold contrast being the whole point. Use the widest heavy pan you own; the bigger the surface, the more malai and the faster it reduces. Chef's tip: add the sugar only at the end; sugar added early makes the milk catch and stops the skins forming properly.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 6 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 2 ½ oz sugar
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- 1 pinch saffron strandssoaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
- 3 drops kewra or rose water (optional)
- 2 tbsp pistachios and almondsslivered
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rinse a wide, heavy kadhai with cold water (this helps stop sticking), pour in 6 ¼ cups full-fat milk and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, stirring.
10 minStep 2: Lower the heat so the milk barely simmers. Don't stir the surface; let a thick skin of malai form, about 2–3 minutes. Fanning the surface helps.
Step 3: Gently push the skin to the side of the pan with a flat spatula, so it sticks to the wall above the milk. Repeat every few minutes as each new skin forms, scraping the base now and then so nothing catches. Common mistake: stirring the milk vigorously; you break up the malai and get basundi, not rabri.
60 minStep 4: Keep going for 60–70 minutes until the milk in the centre has reduced to about a quarter and is thick and creamy.
Step 5: Add 2 ½ oz sugar and stir gently for 3–4 minutes until dissolved. Scrape the layers of malai from the sides back into the pan, tearing them into ribbons.
5 minStep 6: Stir in ½ tsp ground green cardamom, 1 pinch saffron strands and 3 drops kewra or rose water, then turn off the heat. Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve topped with 2 tbsp pistachios and almonds, on its own or with hot jalebi or malpua.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rabri take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 85 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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