Rabdi Recipe
Rabdi is a traditional Indian sweet dish made by boiling milk, sugar, and cardamom over low heat until it thickens into a creamy texture. It is a popular dessert in India, especially during special occasions and festivals. The sweet and creamy dish can be garnished with almonds, pistachios, and saffron strands to enhance its flavor and texture.
Ingredients
- 1 milk
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 2.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp pandanus water / kewra water
- 2 tbsp almond / badam
- 2 tbsp cashew
- Saffron / Kesar
Instructions
Preparation
- Assemble all ingredients together to avoid last minute rush.
- Soak almonds in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain the water and remove the peels from almonds.
- Slice or chop blanched almonds and cashews and keep aside.
Cooking
- Pour whole milk in a thick bottomed Kadai or Pan and start heating the milk on a low to medium heat, till the milk starts to form a layer of clotted cream (malai) on top. Stir a couple of time between intervals.
- When the cream floating on top, then with a Spatula, gently move the cream layer. Move it towards the side of the Kadai and let it stick at the sides. Continue to simmer on low flame.
- You need to collect the cream layers many times while continuous simmering the milk.
- Once the milk reduces to half of its volume, add sugar according to your preferences.
- Now, add saffron strands and cardamom powder. Mix gently.
- It's important to stir the milk while collecting the cream at the sides, to avoid getting milk browned or burnt from the bottom.
- The color will change to yellow, as saffron has added.
- Switch off the flame when milk reduced to 1/4 of its volume. It took about 1- 1 ½ hours on a low to medium heat.
- Scrape off the entire cream layer and dried milk solids and add into the thickened milk. Stir gently.
- Add kewra water and few sliced almonds and cashews and mix again.
- At the end, garnish sliced almonds and cashews on top and serve warm or chilled Rabdi!
Equipment Used for This Recipe
Notes & Tips
- Storage: Transfer the cooled Rabdi in an Airtight Container and refrigerate it for upto 2-3 days. Rabdi will thicken more as it's cools down, so keep the consistency slightly thin.
- Milk: For best results, use whole milk or full fat milk. Don’t make this sweet with low-fat milk or skimmed milk.
- Nuts and flavorings: Feel free to add nuts and flavorings of your choice. If you do not have pandanus water, can also add rose water.
- Saffron: You can skip adding saffron strands but I recommend to add cardamom powder.
- Ingredients & Equipment: Find these Ingredients & Equipment at specialty food stores or online stores. For review of some stores, please refer to the Grocery Review Section on our Website.
Nutrition Information (Note: Approximate)
Nutrition Facts
Rabdi Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
86
% Daily Value*
Fat
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Sodium
1
mg
0
%
Potassium
71
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
10
g
3
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
1
IU
0
%
Vitamin B1
1
mg
67
%
Vitamin B2
1
mg
59
%
Vitamin B3
1
mg
5
%
Vitamin B5
1
mg
10
%
Vitamin B6
1
mg
50
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Vitamin E
1
mg
7
%
Vitamin K
2
µg
2
%
Calcium
16
mg
2
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
Magnesium
29
mg
7
%
Zinc
1
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.