Shahi Tukra Recipe | How to make Shahi Tukda | Step by Step Recipe | Cooking with leftovers

Shahi Tukra must be one of those dishes that I have been forever reading about and wanting to make. I guess almost ever since I started baking some 15 years ago. That's when I first started using Milkmaid and along with it I got it's recipe book that has such pretty food pictures. I used to literally drool over them and I have almost made of them till date. Except for few like this delicious Shahi Tukra. On reading it, I realized it sounds very much like the Bread Halwa that we make, of course with a major change that alters the entire taste.

Looks like I had to wait for an eternity to finally make this dish. As with all BM's I have been so without any ideas on both the themes I did this edition. However when compared with the first week, I knew I will be able to make the second week where I am supposed to dress up a leftover with new avatar! Imagine making something to become leftover and then creating this dish. I confess on few occasion, it was more of an idea than the actual dish being a leftover. But then I guess it's all fair in blog and war, if I may to borrow and change the cliche!

Coming back to the Shahi Tukra, do I have to say that Konda loved it? I almost thought that she was just giving me those expressions just to please. You never know right, just so that I confirmed with Hubby dear on the taste and he said the dish did match her ecstatic expression. I was happy hearing that naturally. And know that this is something that will be featured more often.

In spite of this being a rich and creamy dessert, I wanted to make sure I reduced and modified something in this. The bread is supposed to be deep fried. I wanted to avoid and shallow fried it. I seriously don't know how much of a taste that must change, but presume it to be a small bit when you consider the amount of calories it must otherwise give you.

And to make sure I fit the theme, I used leftover bread. I pinged Harini to confess if she was okay with me using a leftover bread. She was and that's the reason why you get to read about this Shahi tukda and drool over it.

Step by Step picture Recipe

Shahi Tukra Recipe | Shahi Tukda

Ingredients Needed:

For the bread

Bread slices - 4
Ghee - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp

For the Cream Sauce

Condensed Milk - 1/2 cup or 4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup, more if you want
Corn flour - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Cardamom powder a pinch

For the Sugar Syrup

Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water enough to cover the sugar

Almonds and Pistachios, finely chopped for garnish.

How to make Shahi Tukra / Shahi Tukda

For the Cream Sauce:

In a bowl, take the corn flour and add 2 tsp of milk and blend well to form lump less liquid. Keep it aside.

In a pan take the condensed milk and add the rest of the milk. Bring to boil. When it starts to boil, simmer and slowly add the corn flour mix. It will thicken very fast so keep stirring constantly.

This takes only about 2 mins or so, you will have a thick mix in the pan. If required thinner the cream by adding more milk or condensed milk. Else keep it aside.

Notes: One way to get that creamy texture is to pulse this condensed paste in mixer for a smooth paste.

For the bread:

Trim the sides and cut into two or four squares depending on how you want to serve.

If you are going to shallow fry, then heat a pan add 1 tsp of ghee and oil. Once it's hot, place all the bread pieces and fry over slow flame. After couple of minutes, sprinkle the rest of the ghee and oil. Flip to the other side.

If you are going to deep fry, take a kadai with little oil and heat. When it's hot, deep fry the bread pieces in batches. You will have to add more oil/ghee as you finish up the whole lot as the bread will dunk more oil/ghee.

Deep frying will make the bread to be very crisp, while the shallow frying will take longer time to become hard.

Once done, remove and keep it aside.

For the Sugar Syrup

In a pan, take the sugar and water, bring to boil. Remove impurities if any.

Continue boiling till you get a sticky syrup which will be 1 thread consistency. Switch off the flame and remove.

Dip the fried bread into the sugar syrup and remove to a plate. When you are done with all the bread pieces, arrange in a plate.

Scoop a spoonful of condensed milk cream on each bread piece and garnish with finely chopped almond and pistas.

Serve hot or chilled.

These will make a great dessert for a party both for adults and kids as well!

If you want to make this a rich affair then you really won't be able to indulge in this frequently. I think this low fat, low calorie will suit all our requirement!

Sending this to Harini who is hosting Kid's Delight, themed on Dressing up Leftovers for Kids

With this we are done with the Blogging Marathon Edition #9

I did Indian Festival Food with Step by Step pictures for the first week

• Moong Dal Laddu | How to make Pesara Pappu Ladoo
• Pesara Karapusa | Moong Dal Ompodi / Sev
• Badam Katli | How to make Badam Katli in Microwave
• Chum Chum Recipe | How to make Cham Cham
• Thattai Recipe | How to make Thattai
• Chandrakanthalu Recipe | How to make Chandrakantha
• Besan Ki Burfi | How to make Besan Ki Barfi in Microwave

And the theme "Dressing up Leftovers for Kids" for the second week.

• Leftover Idlis with Spice Powder in Microwave
• Leftover Rice Pakodas | Pakodas with leftover Rice
• Leftover Chapati Pizza | Indian Style Quesadilla
• Paratha with leftover dal
• Leftover Vegetable Cutlet | Cutlet with leftover Vegetables
• Sweet Poli with Badam Katli | Cashew Almond Nuts Poli

Hope you enjoyed reading these as I had enjoyed making them.


Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#9

Besan Ki Burfi | How to make Besan Ki Barfi in Microwave | Diwali Sweets | Step by Step Recipe

Besan Ki Burfi can be simply referred as Mysore Pak. However something made google and I came to learn lot more than I expected. In gujarati, it's also called Magas. And the way it is prepared is little different. Same measurement, yet a different method and you arrive at a different textured sweet.

In Mysore Pak also you get two different versions. One the ghee dipping version and the other version that has a honeycomb texture, which actually uses less ghee than the first one. I have made both versions of Mysore pak last year. So I wasn't planning on making another this year.

Yet for the last day of Blogging Marathon, special on Indian Sweets, I came upon this recipe that went by the name Chana dal Burfi / Besan Ki Burfi. Reading through the recipe I realized the ingredients and measurement were different. So I decided I might as well make it and moreover in microwave as I always felt cooking Besan in microwave is pretty easy.

Of course, I had to time it very carefully as my first attempt in making Almond Katli ended up with a burnt one for the first batch. So there I was, popping it and pulling it out every other min, making sure I caught it right. As you know cooking in microwave, takes very less time. So I was making sure I calculate the time correctly.

Besan is also referred as Channa Dal powder. As I had said earlier, Burfi / Barfi is a sweet in fudge form and not that loose form that gets to be called Halwa. Same ingredients and measurements. Cooking time differs to get a different sweet altogether.

Check out How to make Mysore Pak

Step by Step Picture Recipe

Besan Ki Burfi / Barfi

Ingredients Needed:

Besan / Channa Dal - 1 cup
Milk powder - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 & 1/2 cup
Water - 2 cups
Roasted nuts for garnish

Microwave safe bowls.


How to make Besan Ki Burfi

Microwave the ghee for a min.

Mix in Besan and roast for 2 mins. Stir the mix in between a min. Once done, remove and mix in the milk powder. Set it aside.

In another microwave safe bowl, add sugar and water. Micro for 3 mins. Once the sugar melts, strain it to remove impurities if any. Then again micro for 3- 4 mins. You will see the syrup all thick and can form one thread consistency.

Remove and pour this syrup into the besan- milk powder mix and combine everything well. Microwave for 2 mins.

After a minute, you will notice the mix all coming up frothy. Beat it up well and again micro for another minute.

You will know it's done, when you notice the mix sliding away from bottom. If required micro for another 30 secs.

Remove, beat well and pour into a greased plate. Allow it to cool, cut into pieces.

Garnish with nuts on top.

 

Notes: From what I read, for making Magas, the sugar is not melted but added as such for it to set. I guess that will give it's a grainy texture. In this microwave method, however the sugar was completely melted.

Sending this to the following events:

Pradnya who is hosting the October Edition of MEC

Suma, who is hosting my favorite event MLLA# 40, an event started by Susan

Gayathri  who is hosting 'Only'- Sweets and Desserts, an event started by Pari
Serve it - Festival Potluck hosted by Krithi and Danny 

Chandrakanthalu Recipe | How to make Chandrakantha | Diwali Sweets | Step by Step Recipe

Chandrakantalu is a special sweet from Andhra. The name personifies the moon like and is supposed to be shaped as the waxing moon, which looks so cute. This is again dish from Amma. She has been having this recipe in her files for so many years. I am so glad that she was finally able to bring it out.

This is a delightful recipe that is made from Split yellow moong dal. When I was discussing with her on what special Andhra Deepavali sweets can be made, the first thing she remembered was this dish. On hearing I was assuiming Chandrakala, which I think is very similar to Kaja. Maybe I will end up doing that for this festival season too.

Anyway now for the recipe, which is crispy on the outside and soft and sweet inside.

Chandrakanthalu

Split Yellow Moong dal - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil for deep frying.

How to make Chandrakatalu:

Wash and soak the yellow dal for an hour. Then drian the dal from water and grind it to a fine paste. There is no need to add water, should be able to grind with the soft dal by itself.

Heat a non stick kadai with ghee. Add this ground moong dal paste, and keep cooking for couple of minutes. Then add the sugar. It will start melting and letting out moisture.

Continue frying till the paste is dry. You will know it's done, when it starts leaving the sides.

Transfer to a greased bowl, spread it well and allow it to cool. Once it's manageable to handle, shape them as waxing moon. Continue with the entire paste.

Heat a kadai with oil, when hot, simmer and deep fry the chandrakantulu to golden brown.

Notes:

The batter should be of the vada consistency. Water should not be added, else it will dunk lot of oil. If required for the batter to get well ground, just sprinkle some water.

Since the batter is already cooked, when it is dropped into hot oil, it will start to brown very quickly. So the oil should always be low flame. 

Sending this to the following events:

Suma, who is hosting my favorite event MLLA# 40, an event started by Susan

Gayathri  who is hosting 'Only'- Sweets and Desserts, an event started by Pari
Serve it - Festival Potluck hosted by Krithi and Danny 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#9