Gujarati Basundi
Full-cream milk slow-simmered and reduced until thick and sweet, scented with saffron and cardamom and topped with nuts — a festive Gujarati milk dessert.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 250 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-bottomed pan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 22 g
- fibre
- 0 g
- protein
- 8 g
- calories
- 250 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring it to a boil.
- 2
Turn the heat to low-medium. Simmer gently, stirring often and scraping down the sides.
- 3
Keep simmering for 45-50 minutes until the milk reduces to nearly half and thickens slightly.
- 4
Add the sugar. Stir until it dissolves completely.
- 5
Stir in the saffron milk and cardamom powder. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- 6
Take the pan off the heat. Stir in half of the chopped nuts.
- 7
Chill for at least 2 hours. Scatter the remaining nuts on top before serving.
Chef's tips
Scrape the cream from the pan sides back into the milk for a richer basundi (sweet thickened milk). Cook gently on low heat to prevent burning.
Ingredient substitutions
- full-cream milk → toned milk with 2 tablespoons of milk powder added
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Best served chilled; not typically reheated.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Simmering on high heat, which burns the milk at the bottom and spoils the flavour.
Serving suggestions
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