Maharashtrian Basundi
milk cooked down by half until it is thick, grainy and the colour of ivory
Allergens in Maharashtrian Basundi: milk, tree nuts.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 1.5 litres, full-fat Milkthe whole dish is the milk, so use the best you can get
- 90g (about 7 tbsp) Sugar
- 5 pods, seeds crushed Cardamom
- a generous pinch, soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk Saffronoptional
- a scraping Nutmegoptional
- 10, blanched and slivered Almondsoptional
- 10, slivered Pistachiosoptional
Cookware
stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Use the widest, heaviest pan you own. A wide surface is what reduces milk in an hour rather than two.
- Rinse the pan with cold water and leave a film of it before pouring in the milk. It makes the base far less likely to catch.
- Soak the saffron in warm milk for 15 minutes so it gives up its colour before it goes in.
Method
- Bring the milk to a boil in a wide heavy pan, then drop the heat to a steady low simmer.
- Simmer 45-55 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes and scraping the base and the sides with a flat spatula.Scrape the cream that sticks to the sides back into the milk each time. That is what makes basundi grainy rather than merely thick.
- Keep going until the milk has reduced by half and coats the back of a spoon in a thick ivory layer.Judge by volume, not the clock. Mark the starting level on your spatula handle if it helps.
- Stir in the sugar and simmer 8 more minutes. The milk will loosen at first and then thicken again.Adding sugar early slows the reduction and risks scorching. Wait until the milk is already thick.
- Add the crushed cardamom, the saffron milk and the scraping of nutmeg and simmer 2 minutes.
- Take off the heat and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to stop a skin forming.
- Chill at least 3 hours; it thickens noticeably as it cools.
- Serve cold in small bowls, scattered with the slivered almonds and pistachios, with hot puris alongside if it is a festival day.
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated in a covered container. Serve cold; if it has set too stiff, loosen with 2 tbsp cold milk and stir well.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Maharashtrian Basundi (414 g) is about 350 calories, or 85 calories per 100 g.
Medium protein: 13 g a serving, 15% of the calories
| Per serving414 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 350 kcal | 85 kcal |
| Protein | 13.2 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.1 g | 10 g |
| of which sugars | 42.2 g | 10 g |
| Fibre | 0.6 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 14.9 g | 4 g |
| of which saturated | 7.4 g | 2 g |
| of which unsaturated | 5.9 g | 1 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Maharashtrian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.