Kesar Rabdi

Kesar Rabdi is a delectable dessert from North India. A creamy rich delight which can make any occasion special. Basically rabdi is a sweetened evaporated milk dish made by boiling milk on low heat for a long time. Kesar rabdi is a flavorful variation to this classic rabdi in which saffron imparts a golden yellow color and aroma to the dish. 

Today is Vasant panchami , a popular Hindu festival that initiates the arrival of spring. This day falls on the fifth day of Hindu Calendar Magha and is also celebrated as the birthday of Maa Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge and art). Yellow is the dominant color of this festival. It signifies the ripening of fruits and crops. The mustard field in North India bloom during this season giving a yellow coat to nature. People wear yellow clothes, offer yellow flower to goddess and many yellow colored delicious dishes are prepared for the occasion. Last year i prepared Pineapple Halwa for this occasion. This year i made a simple yet delectable dessert - Kesar Rabdi to offer as naivedhyam to goddess Saraswati.
                                   

Mustard Fields 

Kesar Rabdi recipe is very simple and needs just 3 basic ingredients namely milk , sugar and saffron. I have used pistachio slivers for garnishing, but it is purely optional. The recipe calls for reducing the milk on low flame , until it becomes dense and has layers of cream in it. This evaporated milk is further sweetened and flavored with saffron to get this creamy rich kesar rabdi. Kesar rabdi is usually prepared on special occasions and festivals . It can be served chilled or warm as a dessert on its own or drizzled over sweets like malpua , jalebi or gulab jamun.

Sending this recipe to #128th #FoodieMondayBlogHop where the theme for this week is cooking with 3 ingredients. Do check my fellow bloggers posts for some innovative ideas on this theme.
                           

 Preparation time: 5 minutes

 Cooking time: 30 minutes

 Servings : 2-3

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup =200 ml

• 4 cups full cream milk
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 10-12 strands of Saffron
• Few pistachio slivers for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Heat milk in a sauce pan or a broad bottom vessel on medium flame. Once the milk boils, reduce the flame to low . 

2. Scoop out 2 tablespoon milk from it and transfer to a small bowl. Add saffron strands to the milk when it is warm and keep aside until use.

3. Allow the milk to cook further on low flame. Keep pushing the cream layer towards the sides of the pan. Stir the milk occasionally so that it does not catch the bottom of the pan.

 4. Keep boiling the milk until it becomes thick and reduces to half the original quantity. Now scrap the sides of the pan and collect all the cream layers to the center.

 5. Add sugar followed by the addition of saffron milk. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes . The rabdi will turn golden yellow in color. Put off the flame. The rabdi will thicken further on cooling.

  6. Garnish the kesar rabdi with pistachio slivers and serve warm or chilled. 

  Notes:

• The quantity of sugar can be increased as per the desired sweetness. My family likes to have this sweet mildly sweet .
• You may use cardamom powder to flavor the rabdi.
• Kesar Rabdi can be served warm or chilled either as a dessert on its own or drizzled over malpua, gulab jamun or jalebi.

I hope you would love to try out this simple yet delectable dessert for yourself. If you do so , feel free to share your feedback with us. Follow me on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates.

For more similar recipes, do check my posts on

• Kesar Badam Matka Kulfi

                               

• Apple Rabdi

                            

• Kesar Phirni