Rabri Or Rabdi Recipe

Rabri Or Rabdi Recipe

You and I are here to celebrate the completion of 550 posts on the blog. You have been an incredible reader and an immense supporter for me through this journey of “Creating Healthier Lives”, avoiding white devils and embracing local, traditional and natural foods through a healthy lifestyle. More than 90% of these 550 posts have been curated without white devils and I am truly grateful to each of you who have been with me in this journey. So doesn’t it call for a celebration? Celebrations are incomplete without sweets and here is Rabri or Rabdi recipe without white sugar.

Rabri vs Basundi:

Rabri or Rabdi is a milk-based dessert from North India which is a close cousin of Basundi. I had 1.5 litres of native cow milk (That is the only reason to make a milk-based dish) and we were not in a mood to convert to paneer or rasagulla or paalkova. Then came this idea which mom used to make during our childhood whenever excess milk was available at home.

Rabri and Basundi call for a similar process but the difference in the texture and the thickness. Rabri has the milk cream/ malai/ paalaadai in it and it is thicker than basundi. Basundi doesn’t have the milk cream texture and it is thin. I have used only pure milk, coconut jaggery+palm sugar, saffron and nuts. Most versions call for condensed milk which I prefer not to use owing to the ingredients.

Both involve simmering the milk and using the malai. The process is a bit lengthy and always try to combine this work with your usual cooking. I had a different version of organic palm sugar with me, so I used it. This is mildly sweet. Having always avoided using milk (I use all milk products), many might find how is that milk usage is fine here. I went with milk usage as it was pure native cows milk.

Rabri Or Rabdi Recipe:

My wholehearted thanks to each friend, well-wisher, supporter , motivator who has made this journey extremely flourishing and amazing till 550 posts. Hope you receive this abundance of love and support in all my future path of KitchenKathukutty too.

Ingredients:

Full cream milk-1.5 litres

Sweetener-3 tbsps

Saffron-Few strands

Pistachios-8

Almonds-8

I used a combination of palm sugar and coconut jaggery sourced from the online shop Organic Positive. You may use palm sugar or powdered jaggery or white sugar. The colour and taste might have the flavours of the sweetener used. When refrigerated this stays good for 3-7 days.

Rabri Or Rabdi Recipe:

Procedure:

1.Boil the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan. Soak the nuts in water and chop them fine after 30 minutes into fine pieces for garnishing.

1. When it starts forming the malai/milk cream layer, reduce the heat and begin to simmer. Add saffron to the milk. You can also add the saffron to 2 tbsps of milk and add at a later stage.

1. Start collecting the paalaadai/malai/milk cream layer in a separate vessel. The right portion of the above picture is the cream collected.
2. Let it simmer well and with occasional stirring and scrapping of sides to avoid burning, keep collecting the paal aadai/ malai layer.
3. When the milk is reduced to half, keep adding the sweetener little by little with minimum 2-3 minutes gap and keep stirring. Don’t stop collecting the malai in this stage too.

Note: You should avoid adding the sweetener at one go to avoid curdling. Any other sweetener except white sugar tends to curdle milk at times.

1. When the milk is reduced to 1/4 th stop the gas stove and add the collected malai.

1. Give a quick stir and add the chopped nuts. You can cool this down and have at room temperature or serve chilled too.

1. The rabri or rabdi is ready to fill your homes with ecstasy and tummy/tongue with divine taste and bliss.

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P.S:

You can adjust the sweet level as per your taste.

The milk would be thick in step 6 and the heat of the pan will thicken it more. Hence avoid cooking more.

You may adjust the thickness too as per your taste and preference.

Let the entire cooking happen in low flame.

This takes close to 1 to 1.5 hours.

The colour depends on the milk used and the sweetener.

For basundi:

All that you have to do is stop simmering earlier and instead of collecting the malai, just stir it inside every time.

This is a very common question I encounter when I talk about replacing white sugar with natural sweeteners like palm sugar, palm jaggery, jaggery or dates syrup. Isn’t sugar anyway sugar? How could it be healthy? I do agree it is healthier on a comparative scale and it is absolutely healthy only when used in moderation.  It is healthy because we avoid the bleached white sugar and say bye to chemicals used in processing. With the usage of other sweeteners, I have observed that the quantity you consume every day automatically reduces.

The healthy food habits or the alternatives suggested in KitchenKathukutty paves way for healthy lives only when we adhere to a non-sedentary lifestyle(30 minutes exercise 5 days a week), sleep as per the circadian rhythm and focus on our emotional & mental well being too. KitchenKathukutty constantly reminds this for your holistic healthier lives.

 

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Once again I extend my sincere gratitude to all the love and support you have been showering me since the commencement of this journey. Your comments are my accolades and your word of mouth/shares are my stepping stones 🙂