When festival season is upon us, I always lean towards the traditional Indian sweets that I grew up eating. Hailing from an agricultural family, I grew up with cows at home. Hence we always had fresh milk in hand.
My grandmother would always Therattipaal or Paal Kova. On the other hand, my Manni (aunt) makes outstanding Basundi, which is a slightly modified Palkova and is a little less time-consuming.
Thirattipal is a regular in our house for Diwali. My mom would always feed some Lehiyam followed by a big mouthful of palkova.
Basundi is a popular Indian dessert prepared by reducing/condensing the milk. Making basundhi is a little time-consuming process. But it does not require too much hands-on work.
I make it for Navaratri and definitely for the Gokulashtami / Krishna Janmashtami festival.
Make it alongside, when you are cooking and by the time you are done with cooking, you will be done with this too. Making this requires very few ingredients and it is sure to please all the kids and adults the same.
Ingredients to make Basundi
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
Milk - I have made Basundi with full-fat milk and 2 % fat milk and also a combination of both. Of course, full fat works the best, but the others work as well.
Sugar - I use white sugar for this.
Cardamom powder - Freshly ground cardamom seeds make the Basundi very flavorful.
Saffron threads - Gives a beautiful color to the Basundhi.
Nuts - I used coarsely chopped Pistachios and almonds, but can also use cashews along with it as well.
Step-by-step process
In a heavy bottom pan, boil the milk. Once it comes to a boil, add the chopped nuts.
When simmering, you will notice the layers of cream forming on the top. Keep removing it and add it back to the boiling milk. Keep doing it the whole time.
Add the saffron strands and let the milk continue to cook and reduce.
When the milk is reduced to half the quantity you will notice that it starts having a mud-like consistency. At this stage add the sugar and mix well. As soon as you add the sugar, the mixture will liquefy a bit. Keep cooking it down until the mixture thickens slightly.
Now add the cardamom powder and take it off the heat.
Serve it warm or chilled.
Full-fat milk works the best but reduced-fat milk can also be used. I would not recommend using skimmed milk though. Adjust the sugar based on your taste. If you like less sweet Basundi, then use just about ½ cup. Take the basundhi off the flame when it still is a little runny. It will solidify a little when cooled. If in case you cooked it too much and the mixture is too thick, add a little milk and bring it to a boil. Then cool it down and serve.
Other Milk Sweet Recipes
Therattipal / Palkova - Therattipal is a traditional Indian dessert made with just 2 main ingredients, Milk and Sugar. This traditional dessert is very close to my heart and I share many memories of it growing up. Paal Poli - Paal poli is a traditional South Indian dessert made during festivals. It is a deep-fried semolina poori soaked in sweet saffron milk. Paal Payasam - Quick and easy pudding made with milk and rice is my go-to dessert for any festival or special occasion. If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
Recipe
