Basundi / Thickened Sweet Milk Dessert
A classic Indian dessert of milk simmered down until thick and creamy, flavored with cardamom and saffron and garnished with slivered nuts.
⏱️ Prep: 5 min🍳 Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
| 4 cans (12 oz each) | evaporated milk | |
| 1/2 - 3/4 can (14 oz) | condensed milk (as per taste) | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | cardamom powder |
| few strands | saffron | |
| handful | nuts for garnish (slivered almonds, pistachios) | |
| 1/2 TBSP | 7.5 ml | ghee to grease the inner pot |
Instructions
Total Time: 35 minutes. Cuisine: Indian. Author: Jyoti Behrani.
Instructions for Instant Pot Cooking:
- Grease the inner pot of Instant Pot with some ghee. Apply in the bottom and on the sides, half way. This will help prevent any milk sticking to the bottom.
- Turn on Instant Pot to saute mode (normal). Add evaporated milk, condensed milk (about 1/2 can), cardamom powder, few strands of saffron; mix well. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly to avoid any milk sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- OPTION A: Continue cooking on saute mode for about 20-25 min, or until the desired consistency of basundi is achieved. OPTION B: Switch to slow cook mode for 2 hrs. After 2 hrs check the consistency; if desired continue to cook on slow cook mode or switch to saute mode and finish it.
- Add some nuts. Basundi can be served warm or cold. Enjoy!
Instructions for Stove Top Cooking:
- Grease the pot with some ghee. Apply in the bottom and on the sides, half way. This will help prevent any milk sticking to the bottom.
- Turn on heat. Add evaporated milk, condensed milk (about 1/2 can), cardamom powder, few strands of saffron; mix well. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly to avoid any milk sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook for about 20-25 min, or until the desired consistency of basundi is achieved. Keep stirring occasionally to avoid any milk sticking to the bottom.
- Add some nuts. Basundi can be served warm or cold. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Applying ghee to the inner pot of Instant Pot/pot helps prevent the sticking of milk to the bottom of the pot.
- While making basundi on a stove top, use a heavy wide bottom pot. Make sure the size of the pot is twice bigger, to avoid any spills.
- Adjust the sweetness as per taste; you can always add more condensed milk later. Sugar may also be substituted in place of condensed milk.
- Cook the milk to a desired consistency. If milk is reduced to half, you get basundi. If milk is reduced to a fourth, resulting in rabri/rabdi.
- Basundi thickens upon refrigeration. So does rabri/rabdi.