Shahi Tukda Recipe (Mughlai Bread Sweet)

Shahi Tukda is a popular Mughlai Dessert which is loved by everyone all over India and other parts of the world. This is truly a royal dessert that melts in your mouth very similar to double ka meetha. This rich indulgent sweet combines fried bread, sugar syrup, Rabri and chopped nuts. 

Shahi Tukda Recipe

Shahi tukda is one of my favourite dessert, but I don’t make it often because it is time consuming and very rich and high in calories. But last week I made shahi tukda for my daughter school event. 

My daughter’s school is hosting a Mughlai cuisine event, and she was put in charge of the dessert section. I decided to make Shahi Tukda for her a rich, royal sweet that perfectly represents the flavours of Mughlai cooking. Crisp ghee-fried bread soaked in aromatic sugar syrup and topped with creamy rabri, it turned out beautifully. Hoping everyone at the event enjoys this classic treat as much as we did at home.

About Shahi Tukda 

Shahi Tukda is a royal Mughlai dessert made of crisp fried bread soaked in sugar syrup and topped with thick, creamy rabri very similar to double ka meetha. Shahi Tukda feels nothing short of royal. This delectable dish brings together simple ingredients in the most indulgent way.

It starts with slices of bread fried in ghee until they turn golden and irresistibly crisp. These pieces are then gently soaked in a warm, sugar syrup that adds just the right amount of sweetness and aroma. Finally, the bread is topped with a generous layer of thick, slow-cooked rabri made from reduced milk.

The recipe starts by making Rabri. It is one of the most time consuming part of the sweet. And also main component. Gallons of milk is cooked until it is reduced to thick and creamy texture with added sugar and condensed milk. Lots of chopped nuts is added to create a wonderful mouth feel. Flavourings such as cardamom, saffron is added. The end Rabri is thick, creamy and so rich. You can serve Rabri not only with fried bread but also with Malpua, gulab jamun, jalebi. 

Similar Recipes

Double ka meetha

Rasgulla

Rasmalai

Bread jamun

Bread Malpua

Shahi Tukda (3 Easy Steps)

Rabri (Thickened sweet milk) – it is one of the main component of the dish and the most time consuming part as well. Use thick heavy bottom large pot or pan to reduce the milk. Keep mixing the milk as it boils, so it doesn’t burn in the bottom. Make sure to reduce until ⅓rd of the original volume. Add sugar once milk is reduced ⅓rd. Add flavourings, nuts in the end. You can make Rabri a day in advance and store in fridge. 

Sugar syrup – cook sugar and water until it gets slightly sticky in texture which is perfect texture. You can make sugar syrup a day in advance and store at room temp. 

Fried Bread – slice bread, fry it on low heat until golden and crispy in ghee. 

Once all these are done. It is just assembly job. 

Ingredients

Milk – use full fat milk for making Rabri which makes the process fast and easy.

Sugar, sweetened condensed milk – some recipe uses only sugar to make rabri but I like to add condensed milk to make the process fast and also achieve creamy texture. Sugar is also used to make sugar syrup. It is cooked with water and small squeeze of lemon to get sugar syrup. 

Flavourings – cardamom and saffron are the flavourings which I used. But you can use kewra or rose water as wel.

Bread – white bread or brown bread can be used for making shahi tukda. Make sure to remove the crust from the bread. Also you can cut the bread in diagonals or cubes. 

Nuts – use a combination of almonds, pistachios, cashews in the Rabri for best taste. 

Ghee & Oil – you can use ghee or oil for frying bread. A mixture of oil or ghee can be used for frying which is more budget friendly.

Expert Tips

• Make sure you fry the bread on low heat so it gets golden brown without getting too dark.
• You can use ghee to fry the bread or use a combination of ghee and oil.
• You can make the Rabri a day in advance and store in fridge. 
• Don’t immerse the bread too long in the syrup. Just few seconds is enough.
• You can serve shahi tukda warm or cold. 

Storage and Serving

You can store Rabri in fridge upto a week. Leftovers assembled shahi tukda can be stored in fridge upto 2 days. 

Step by Step Pictures

Thickened milk (Rabri)

1)Start by making Rabri. Take milk in a heavy bottom pan.

2)Bring it to full boil. Mix it well.

3)Boil the milk while scraping the sides of the pan to remove the milk solids formed when boiling milk.

4)Add the milk solids back into the milk and boil longer. 

5)Keep simmering on low heat and scrape the sides as the cream forms. Reduce it to ⅓rd. 

6)Once the milk is reduced. Add in sugar.

7)and condensed milk and boil until the milk starts to thicken even more.

8)It will get thick and creamy faster as soon as you add the sugar and condensed milk. Once it gets creamy and thick. Turn off the heat. 

9)Now add in cardamom, saffron.

10)and chopped nuts and mix well.

11)Rabri will get even thick as it cools. Once the mixture is cool, you can store it in fridge. 

Sugar Syrup

12)Make sugar syrup. Take sugar in a pan or sauce pan.

13)Add in water and lemon juice.

14)Bring it to a full boil. Let the syrup boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Let the syrup gets sticky in consistency. As soon as it reaches that consistency, turn off the heat. 

Fried Bread & Assembly

15)Now take bread slices, remove the crust off. Cut into diagonals.

16)Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Make sure the heat is on low so the bread gets crispy without getting too golden and dark.

17)Drop the bread in and fry on low heat until it gets golden brown. Flip over and cook on other sides too. Once the bread is fried. Remove it to a plate.

18)Take the fried bread, immerse in sugar syrup for just 10 seconds.

19)Remove it using a slotted spoon and set aside.

20)For serving. Spread some Rabri on the serving plate. Place the fried bread slices, pour more Rabri and garnish with nuts and saffron. Serve. 

📖 Recipe Card

Shahi Tukda Recipe (Mughlai Sweet)

Shahi Tukda is a popular Mughlai Dessert which is loved by everyone all over India and other parts of the world. This is truly a royal dessert that melts in your mouth very similar to double ka meetha. This rich indulgent sweet combines fried bread, sugar syrup, Rabri and chopped nuts. 

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine North Indian

Servings 8 servings

Calories 1064 kcal

Ingredients  

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For Rabri (Rabdi)

• 2 litre Full Fat Milk
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ¼ cup Nuts Pistachios, cashews, almonds finely chopped
• ⅓ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• ⅛ teaspoon Saffron

For Sugar Syrup

• 2 cups Sugar
• 3 cups Water
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom

For Fried Bread

• 16 slices White Bread
• 1 cup Ghee
• 1 cup Oil

Instructions 

• Start by making Rabri. Take milk in a heavy bottom pan. Bring it to full boil. Mix it well. Boil the milk while scraping the sides of the pan to remove the milk solids formed when boiling milk. Add the milk solids back into the milk and boil longer. Keep simmering on low heat and scrape the sides as the cream forms. Reduce it to ⅓rd.

• Once the milk is reduced. Add in sugar and condensed milk and boil until the milk starts to thicken even more. It will get thick and creamy faster as soon as you add the sugar and condensed milk. Once it gets creamy and thick. Turn off the heat.

• Now add in cardamom, saffron and chopped nuts and mix well. Rabri will get even thick as it cools. Once the mixture is cool, you can store it in fridge.

• Make sugar syrup. Take sugar, water, lemon juice, cardamom in a sauce pan and bring it to a full boil. Let the syrup boil for 5 to 10 minutes. Let the syrup gets sticky in consistency. As soon as it reaches that consistency, turn off the heat.

• Now take bread slices, remove the crust off. Cut into diagonals. Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Make sure the heat is on low so the bread gets crispy without getting too golden and dark. Drop the bread in and fry on low heat until it gets golden brown. Flip over and cook on other sides too. Once the bread is fried. Remove it to a plate.

• Take the fried bread, immerse in sugar syrup for just 10 seconds. Remove it using a slotted spoon and set aside.

• For serving. Spread some Rabri on the serving plate. Place the fried bread slices, pour more Rabri and garnish with nuts and saffron. Serve.

Notes

• Make sure you fry the bread on low heat so it gets golden brown without getting too dark.
• You can use ghee to fry the bread or use a combination of ghee and oil.
• You can make the Rabri a day in advance and store in fridge.
• Don’t immerse the bread too long in the syrup. Just few seconds is enough.
• You can serve shahi tukda warm or cold.

Storage and Serving

You can store Rabri in fridge upto a week. Leftovers assembled shahi tukda can be stored in fridge upto 2 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingsCalories: 1064kcalCarbohydrates: 111gProtein: 16gFat: 65gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 367mgPotassium: 547mgFiber: 2gSugar: 88gVitamin A: 470IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 484mgIron: 2mg

Keyword desserts recipe, mughlai recipes, mughlai sweets

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