Shahi Tukda

Ingredients:

• 1 whole uncut -bakery bread
• 1 cooking spoon-Ghee
• 2 litre - Full cream milk or if health conscious can use toned milk too
• 2 Tbsp - Pista, blanched and chopped
• 1 bowl - Sugar
• 1 - Cardamom, powdered
• 4-5 Nos- Almonds, toasted and sliced
• Few strands of saffron and zarda color mixed in milk.
• Some ghee for frying bread

Method:

• Cut the whole bread into thick same size pieces and then cut off the edges of the bread and cut it four squares from one piece. Keep aside for minimum 2 hours to make it a little hard. I prefer let it dry for a day or so that it soaks less ghee. Alternatively, one can dry it in oven too. I have kept it there for some time when short of time

• Take some ghee in a kadai and fry the bread pieces and then keep it aside.

• Take milk in a big utencil and let it cook and thicken for some time. Then add sugar to it and let it cook till the sugar dissolves. Let it boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the powdered elachi into it and strants of saffron and zarda color during this time.

• When the milk is done, add the fried bread in it and it soaks all milk and immediately take off fame and close the lid. Add dry fruits when done. Pista tastes best in it.

• One can decorate with some khoya too (optional)- I skip this step as I thicken milk a lot.

• Cover it and refrigerate.

P.S. If bakery bread not available I have used usual sliced bread too...Tastes different...But still the dessert is awesome as this is my favorite Indian dessert :D