shahi tukda

Shahi tukda recipe with step by step photos. Shahi tukda is a rich, royal Mughlai dessert of fried sugar syrup coated bread topped and soaked with fragrant creamy sweet thickened milk or rabri and garnished with dry fruits.

The word ‘shahi’ means royal and tukra/tukda (singular) means  ‘a piece’. Tukray/tukday (plural) means “pieces”. So shahi tukra literally gets translated to royal piece. One piece of a traditionally made shahi tukda will give you a feeling of royalty. its a royal piece of a dessert that is fit for a king or queen or for you :-).  rich in taste, aroma, flavor and calories. 🙂

Both shahi tukra and Double ka meetha have been requested by few readers. I learnt to make shahi tukra in my home science college. We had learnt to make this rich royal Mughlai dessert in the traditional way. Of course now even quick and easy versions of shahi tukra are made.

Since I wanted to share an authentic shahi tukda recipe, I have remained 90% true to the traditional method. The remaining 10% is for a step which I have altered for my own benefit. That is deep frying the bread in ghee. To make the dish, less in calories, I have just pan fried all the bread with 2 tbsp ghee. But if you pan fry or toast the bread really well, you won’t miss the deep fried bread. Just remember that the bread slices have to be toasted evenly till crisp and golden. Also I used whole wheat bread instead of white bread or milk bread.

I have made rabri By reducing the milk. Now this process of reducing milk on a low flame takes time. So do it when you are also doing some other cooking in your kitchen. You have to stir the milk pretty often while its gets reduced. The consistency of rabdi for shahi tukda is a bit thinner than, when it is served plain or when added to kulfi. Of course you can make the rabri with condensed milk or make a vanilla custard instead of rabri. But nothing beats the original.

Also there is a step of coating the toasted bread with sugar syrup. now if you do not prefer so much of sugar in a dessert, then skip this step. Some times I also make it this way. And if you don’t mind the sugar as well as the calories, then do make the sugar syrup and deep/shallow fry the bread in ghee.

It all looks like a lot of steps and preparation. But if you make the rabri, then half the work is done. If you plan to serve shahi tukda chilled, then you can make the rabri one day before and chill in the fridge. Mughlai dishes usually demand extensive preparations, but its worth the effort.

Shahi tukda can be served warm or chilled. this dessert is a heavy, rich dessert particularly meant for festive occasions. Since I had made a few days back and the recipe was lying in the drafts, I thought its a good occasion to post shahi tukda recipe for eid. Wishing all who celebrate, a happy eid.

How to make shahi tukda

To make it easier to understand, the post has been divided into 4 parts:

1. How to make rabdi (if you plan just to exclusively make rabdi, then too this step by step rabdi method is helpful).
2. Toasting the bread slices
3. Preparing one thread sugar syrup and
4. Assembling the shahi tukda.

Preparing the rabri or sweet creamy thickened milk:

1. In a broad thick bottomed pan or sauce pan or a kadai take 1 litre of full fat milk and bring to the first boil.

2. Then add 3 tbsp milk powder ( I used nestle brand) . The addition of milk powder reduces the cooking time of rabri. Milk powder is not essential and if you don’t have then also its fine. In this case you will have to simmer the milk for some more minutes.

3. Add masala milk powder (this is homemade masala milk powder). Again optional and if you don’t have just add a pinch of crushed saffron and ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

4. Remove the clotted cream (malai) which forms on top of the milk and add it back to the milk. Also keep on scraping the dried milk from the sides and add them back to the milk.

5. Looks like ready, but not yet ready. Do stir and scrape often so that the milk does not get browned or burnt from the bottom as well as the sides. Thus for making dishes like rabri, its always better to use a thick bottomed pan or heavy kadai.

6. Keep on simmering, stirring, removing the clotted cream.

7. Thats the right consistency. As it cools, it will thicken more. It took me about 1 hour. The time may vary depending on the quality of the pan, intensity of flame and quality of milk.

8. Switch off and add sugar. Stir well so that the sugar dissolves.

9. Next add crushed saffron or saffron powder along with kewra water (pandanus water). Skip this step, if you have added saffron before. You can also add sliced almonds and pistachios here. I did not add as I have already added homemade masala milk powder, which is finely ground dry fruits with a few fragrant spices. Substitute kewra water with edible rose water or rose essence.

10. The consistency and texture of the rabdi below.

Pan frying bread slices

1. Slice the crusts of the bread. Cut them into squares, rectangles or triangles.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a flat pan, tava or frying pan.

3. Place the bread slices and on a low to medium heat toast them.

4. When one side is browned, flip and toast the other side.

5. Flip once or twice more to get an even golden color and browning.

6. Drain the bread slices on paper towels.

7. Add 1 tbsp ghee again and toast the remaining batch. Keep all the toasted bread side.

Preparing sugar syrup for shahi tukda

1. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup water in a pan. You can cook both the sugar syrup as well as toast the bread slices, simultaneously.

2. Keep the sugar solution on low heat.

3. The mixture would start to come to a boil.

4. When the whole mixture starts boiling like this, it means the one thread consistency is near by.

5. One thread consistency below.

5. Switch off when the one thread consistency is reached. Then add cardamom powder or rose water and stir. In case the syrup cools and crystallizes before you soak the bread in it, then just add about 1 to 1.5 tbsp water and reheat the syrup.

Assembling shahi tukda

1. Now dip the bread slices in the sugar syrup. With the help of a spoon or small tongs, coat the bread slices evenly with the sugar syrup. The bread will soak the sugar syrup. If this is difficult for you, then just pour the sugar syrup evenly on a neatly arranged bed of bread slices.

2. Arrange the sugar coated bread slices neatly in a serving tray or plate.

3. Pour the rabri on the sugar syrup coated bread slices. Garnish with blanched sliced almonds and pistachios.

4. Serve the rich royal shahi tukda as a dessert.

If not serving shahi tukda immediately, then keep in the fridge. If you plan to add silver foil (chandi ka varak) then place it at the time of serving, whether serving shahi tukda chilled or warm or at room temperature. I made the rabri, sugar syrup and toasting the bread all simultaneously, as I wanted to serve the shahi tukra warm in this chilly rainy weather. In case the rabri cools down, then just warm it, if you want to serve the shahi tukda warm.

More Diwali sweets

• Malpua
• Phirni
• Gulab jamun
• Sheer khurma
• Vermicelli kheer

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shahi tukda

4.78 from 18 votes

By Dassana Amit

Shahi tukda is a rich, royal Mughlai dessert of fried sugar syrup coated bread topped and soaked with fragrant creamy sweet thickened milk or rabri and garnished with dry fruits.

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

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Cuisine Indian, Mughlai

Course: Desserts

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Servings 3 to 4

Units

Ingredients

for rabri

• ▢ 4 cups milk or 1 litre full fat whole milk
• ▢ 2 to 2.5 tablespoon sugar or as required
• ▢ 3 tablespoon milk powder (optional)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon masala milk powder (optional)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kewra water (pandanus water) or 1 teaspoon rose water or a drop of kewra essence or rose essence
• ▢ a pinch of saffron strands or saffron powder

for sugar syrup

• ▢ ½ cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 4 green cardamoms - powdered in mortar pestle or ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder or 1 teaspoon rose water or a drop of rose essence

for pan frying bread

• ▢ 5 to 6 slices of bread - white or brown or whole wheat or milk bread
• ▢ 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) - 1 tablespoon for frying each batch of bread, add more if required

for garnishing

• ▢ 12 to 15 almonds - blanched and sliced
• ▢ a few strands of saffron - optional
• ▢ 10 to 12 pistachios - blanched and sliced

Instructions

blanching dry fruits

• First heat a cup of water till it begins to boil in a microwave or stove top or electric heater.
• Add the pistachios and almonds to the hot water.
• Cover and keep aside for 30 mins. Then peel both and slice them. Keep aside.

making rabri for shahi tukda

• In a broad thick bottomed pan or sauce pan or a kadai take 1 litre of full fat whole milk and bring its first boil.
• Then add milk powder (i used nestle brand) . The addition of milk powder reduces the cooking time of rabri. Milk powder is not essential and if you don't have then also its fine. Just that you will have to simmer the milk for some more minutes.
• Add masala milk powder (this was homemade one). Again optional and if you don't have just add a pinch of crushed saffron and 1/4 tsp cardamom powder.
• Remove the clotted cream/malai which forms on top of the milk and add it back to the milk. Also keep on scraping the dried milk from the sides and add them back to the milk.
• Do stir and scrape often so that the milk does not get browned or burnt from the bottom as well as the sides.
• Keep on simmering, stirring, removing the clotted cream and scraping.
• Switch off when the milk has reduced and become thickened.
• Add sugar. Stir well so that the sugar dissolves.
• Next add crushed saffron or saffron powder along with kewra water (pandanus water). Skip this step, if you have added saffron before. You can also add sliced almonds and pistachios here. I did not add as I have already added homemade masala milk powder, which is finely ground dry fruits with a few fragrant spices. Substitute kewra water with edible rose water or rose essence.
• The consistency and texture of the rabdi is shown above in pic 10.
• It will take about 1 hour for the milk to thicken on a low flame.

pan frying the bread slices

• Slice the crusts of the bread. Cut them into squares, rectangles or triangles.
• Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a flat pan, tava or frying pan.
• Place the bread slices and on a low to medium heat toast them.
• When one side is browned, flip and toast the other side.
• Flip once or twice more to get an even golden color and browning.
• Drain the bread slices on paper towels.
• Add 1 tbsp ghee again and toast the remaining batch. Keep all the toasted bread side.

making sugar syrup for shahi tukda

• Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/4 cup water in a pan. You can begin with the sugar syrup when you start to toast bread slices.
• Keep the sugar solution on a low heat.
• The mixture would start to come to a boil.
• Cook till you get a one thread consistency in the sugar syrup.
• Switch off the flame, when one thread consistency is reached, add cardamom powder and stir.
• In case the syrup cools and crystallizes before you soak the bread in it, then just add about 1 to 1.5 tbsp water and reheat the syrup.

making shahi tukda

• Now dip the bread slices in the sugar syrup. With the help of a spoon or small tongs, coat the bread slices evenly with the sugar syrup. If this is difficult for you, then just pour the sugar syrup evenly on a neatly arranged bed of bread slices.
• Arrange the sugar syrup soaked bread slices neatly in a serving tray or plate.
• Pour the rabri on the sugar syrup coated bread slices.
• Garnish with sliced blanched almonds and pistachios.
• Serve the rich royal shahi tukda.
• If not serving shahi tukda immediatedly, then keep in the fridge. If you plan to add silver foil (chandi ka varak) then place it at the time of serving, whether serving shahi tukra chilled or warm or at room temperature.

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