Basundi is a delicious dessert made by reducing milk , sweetened with sugar and flavoured with saffron, cardamom and garnished with nuts.
It's a easy to make recipe but little time consuming.
This is a easy recipe which can be served to family and friends during gatherings and festivals.
And also can be prepared at anytime of the day without any preparations or any fancy ingredients.
Other Janmashtami festival recipes on blog are : Mathura peda , Murmura Ladoo, Gojju Avalakki | Huli Avalakki Recipe , Sihi avalakki
What is Basundi?
Basundi is a popular Gujarati and Maharashtrian milk based dessert. To make this dessert boiled milk is kept on a low flame till it reduces to half the quantity. Once it thickens, add sugar, flavour with cardamom ,nutmeg , saffron strands and garnish with nuts.
Gujarati version is simlar to Noth Indian Rabri , thick and creamy . Whereas Maharastrian basundi is more like a thin custard. This post shares Maharastrian version of the dessert.
Though it's time consuming to condense the milk, there is no much involvement required as you can keep the milk for simmering and meanwhile you can do other work. But it's important to stir and scrape the sides of the milk pot in between and also take care not to scorch the milk.
There is one more easier version where condensed milk is mixed with milk to make this dessert. But here I have not used any readymade condensed milk instead I have used full fat milk and then condensed.
This easy basundi recipe shared here is a classic basundi sweet recipe but other flavours and fusion of basundi recipes like strawberry basundi ,pineapple basundi are also pretty popular.
A flavorful milk dessert will be ready which can be served chilled all alone or hot/warm if serving with poori.
If you are intrested then do check simlar recipes like Kesar badam milk , Kulfi , Rabdi , Shahi Tukda , Home made Khoya.
Ingredients
To make this delicious dessert , you just need 4 main ingredients and rest other ingrdeients are optional add on's.
Milk - Use full fat whole milk to make this dessert . As full cream milk results in rich creamy thick basundi .Having said so , you can still use skimmed milk to make a lesser calorie dessert but be sure to cpmpromise on that rich ad creamy texture of basundi.
Sugar - I always use white granulated sugar to make this recipe. But you can use any sweetner of your choice.
Flavours - This plays a major role in this dessert . Cardamom , nutmeg , saffron and rose water together creates magical flavours to basundi. If any of the ingredeint is unavailable , just skip and continue with the recipe. Adding alI the flavours will defineitely elevates the flavors.
Chopped nuts - Cashews , pistachios , almonds and chironji are added to basundi. Depending on the availability you can add or skip any of the nuts in this recipe.
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Step by step directions
Preparations
Freshly pound green cardamom pods in a mortar pestle. Remove husk and powder cardamom seeds . Finely chop almonds, cashews and pistachios and set aside.
Take milk in a thick bottom pan and keep on a low flame and bring it gentle boil.
Keep on sim and stir once in awhile so that milk does not get burnt from the bottom.
Scrape the milk solids from the sides and stir the milk, keep milk on sim till it get reduced to 2-2.5 cups.
Once milk reduced to half the quantity, add sugar, saffron strands stir well.
Turn off heat and add chopped nuts ,cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
Serve chilled in matka or warm with poori's as a part of meal to enjoy.
Recipe Card
Basundi Recipe - Creamy Sweetened Milk
Ingredients
- 1 litre Full Fat Milk
- 3 tablespoon Sugar or as required
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder or crush 4-5 cardamom seeds
- 1 pinch nutmeg powder
- 1 pinch Saffron strands
- 1 tablespoon Almonds chopped
- 1 tablespoon Cashews chopped
- 1 tablespoon Pista chopped
- 1.5 tablespoon Chironji ,optional
- ½ teaspoon Rose water ( or 1 drop rose essence) - optional
Instructions
- Take milk in a thick bottom pan and keep on a low flame and bring it gentle boil.
- Keep on sim and stir once in awhile so that milk does not get burnt from the bottom .
- Scrape the milk solids from the sides and stir the milk, keep milk on sim till it get reduced to 2-2.5 cups.
- Once milk reduced to half the quantity, add sugar, saffron strands stir well.
- Turn off heat and add chopped nuts ,cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.
- Serve chilled in matka as a dessert or warm with poori's as a part to meal !
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