Annapurna: Basundi Recipe

Monday 1 January 2018

Basundi Recipe

Before i begin my post, let me first wish all my readers a very happy and blessed new year ! 2017 proved to be very fruitful and happening year to me both personally and professionally. I feel blessed and would take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support and love and hope to see the same in this new year too.Today is the first day of 2018 , a Monday too..with loads of hopes and resolutions , it is a time for a new start and that has to be on a sweet note. Every year i make Carrot Halwa on New Year morning , but since today is Monday and both hubby and me are fasting , I made Basundi which served both as Naivedhyam and as a sweet and comforting breakfast on a cool foggy new year morning !

When it comes to celebration food , the list is very long and there is at least one sweet dish for each and every occasion in India. This time for our #125th #FoodieMondayBlogHop we have #NewYearStateSpecial celebration food as our theme. My contribution to this theme is Basundi .

Basundi is a delicious and popular Maharashtrian dessert made by reducing milk which is further sweetened and flavored with Cardamom and Nutmeg. Saffron may be added to basundi , but almond flavored seeds named Chironji (called charoli in Marathi) is a must in traditional Basundi . With a very simple recipe, Basundi is also one of the loved desserts in Indian states of Gujarat and Karnataka . It is made on special occasions and festivals in Maharashtrian homes and serves as a great dessert option during wedding parties and to please your guests. Basundi is a part of festive meals and usually served with hot pooris , though it can also be had alone and tastes great both while warm or chilled. Basundi can also me taken during fasts .I have shown here the traditional way of making basundi and the recipe can be easily doubled or tripled .

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients: (Measurements used 1 cup = 200 ml)

1 litre full cream milk
1/4 cup Sugar
Few strands of Saffron
2 tablespoon Chironji / Charoli
1/4 teaspoon freshly pounded Cardamom and Nutmeg

Method:

Take a broad , non-stick or heavy bottom pan or wok and add whole full cream milk to it. Heat the pan and allow the milk to boil. Take out 2 tablespoon warm milk from it in a bowl and soak the saffron strands in it. After one boil , lower the flame to medium and allow the milk to cook. Cream will be formed on the top layer of the milk. Keep scraping the edges and collect the cream in the centre using a spatula. Keep stirring the milk occasionally , so that it does not catch the bottom of the pan. I am sharing a tip here, which i learnt from my mumma , slide in a small flat saucer or dish in the pan and allow it to be in the milk until the milk reduces . The dish prevents the milk from catching the bottom and also does not allow it to rise much and spill. Reducing milk is quite a tedious and time consuming process but it can be made easy and time can also be saved if we use a broad pan.

2. Once the milk is reduced to half, remove the plate from the milk. Add the saffron milk to it followed by sugar and chironji. Allow the milk to simmer for another 5 - 7 minutes. Now add the freshly pounded cardamom and nutmeg and put off the flame.

3. Delicious and flavorful basundi is ready to serve !

Notes:

Use fresh full cream milk for better results.
If you do not have Chironji seeds , blanched sliced almonds can be used.
You may adjust the sugar levels as desired.
Freshly pounded cardamom and nutmeg makes the dish very flavorful , so do not skip it.
Serve the basundi warm if serving it with hot pooris.

Hope you like this simple yet flavorful dessert. If you try out the recipes, feel free to share your feedback with us. Follow me on #Facebook , #Instagram , #Twitter and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates.

For more celebration food recipes from Maharashtra, do check my posts on the following. Just click on the name of the dish for the recipe.