Baked Shahi Tukra Recipe

My baked shahi tukra recipe will remind you of a rich, comforting bread pudding with fewer calories.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

• About Shahi Tukda
• Why Bake Shahi Tukra?
• How To Bake Shahi Tukda
• Watch Shahi Tukra Video
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Baked Shahi Tukra Recipe

About Shahi Tukda

Shahi Tukda is one of the most relished Indian desserts. As the name suggests, Shahi Tukra, or shahi toast, is a royal indulgence, having its roots in Mughlai Cuisine . Shahi means ‘royal,’ and Tukda means a ‘piece.’ Hence, the name of the dessert – a royal piece in itself is rich and indulgent.

In other words, Shahi Toast can be defined as an Indian-style bread pudding flavoured with aromatics such as saffron, cardamom, rose petals, and nuts.

You must have all seen shahi tukra during the Ramadan street food festival .

It is a widely popular dessert in the Awadhi, Mughlai, and Hyderabadi Cuisines . No royal feast is considered complete without enjoying shahi tukda for dessert.

Why Bake Shahi Tukra?

Over the years, I have realized with a busy schedule and fewer physical activities, it is wise for us not to indulge in intense calorie desserts. Hence, I developed this healthier version of shahi toast .

• using the baked bread slices instead of deep-fried ones and skipping soaking bread slices in the sugar syrup . Helps you cut down a few calories.
• it takes less time to get ready
• involves fewer cooking steps

How To Bake Shahi Tukda

Making baked shahi toast is a simple two-step process.

1) Prepare Rabri

• Heat milk in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add saffron and cardamom powder. Stir to combine.
• Allow the milk to simmer over low heat. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning the milk. Let the milk simmer till it reduces to almost half the original quantity and has a thick, creamy consistency. This might take 15 – 20 minutes on low heat.
• Once thick, add sugar to the milk. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Turn off the heat. Set rabri aside.

2. Prepare Toast & Assemble :

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes. Grease a baking tray with a teaspoon of ghee.
• Remove the edges of the bread slices. Cut each bread slice into two halves diagonally. Arrange the bread slices in the greased baking tray.
• Bake the bread slices in the oven till they turn crisp. In my oven, it takes 5 – 6 minutes.

• Pour the prepared rabri or milk pudding over the bread slices so that each bread slice is evenly soaked in the flavoured milk.
• Sprinkle pistachio and almond slivers and rose petals. Bake in the oven for 6 – 10 minutes on the middle rack.

Watch Shahi Tukra Video

In Double Ka Meetha, bread slices are not toasted separately. In Shahi Toast, bread slices are toasted first and then layered with rabri. Double Ka Meetha is nothing but a bread pudding. At the same time, Shahi Tukda is made from slices of bread, deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup and rabri. The milk for double ka meetha is not as thick as rabri for shahi toast.

The authentic shahi toast is prepared with white sandwich bread slices only. But you can use brown bread or wheat bread as well.

You can store rabri in the fridge for 3 – 5 days. At room temperature, you can keep it for only 1 – 2 hours. It has dairy products. Hence the shelf life is short.

Transfer the leftover shahi toast to a box with the lid or cover the serving tray with cling foil. Keep it in the fridge for 3 – 5 days. It tastes delicious the next day and the day after. It becomes more like a mouth-melting, flavoursome pudding.

More Indian Dessert Recipes

• Jalebi
• Zarda Pulao
• Paneer Kheer
• Chawal Ki Kheer
• Moong Dal Halwa
• Khoya Gulab Jamun
• Sheer Khurma (Seviyan Kheer)

Ingredients

Ingredients For Rabri:

• ▢ 1 litre full-cream milk (full fat milk)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon saffron strands (kesar)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
• ▢ ¼ Cup granulated white sugar or to taste

Ingredients For Toast:

• ▢ 6 bread slices

Ingredients for the garnish

• ▢ 1 tablespoon pistachio sliver
• ▢ 1 tablespoon almond sliver
• ▢ 1 tablespoon edible rose petals

Instructions

Prepare Rabri:

• Heat milk in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add saffron, and cardamom powder. Stir to combine.
• Allow the milk to simmer over low heat. Stir to regular intervals to avoid burning the milk. Let the milk simmer till it reduces to almost half the original quantity and has a thick, creamy consistency. This might take 15 – 20 minutes on a low heat.
• Add sugar to the thick milk. Stir to dissolve. Taste, and if required, add more sugar. Turn off the heat. Rabri is ready. Set it aside.

Prepare Toast:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celcius for 10 minutes. Grease a baking tray with a teaspoon of ghee.
• Remove the edges of the bread slices. Cut each bread slice into two equal halves diagonally. Arrange the bread slices in the greased baking tray.
• Bake the bread slices in the oven till they turn crisp. In my oven, it takes 5 – 6 minutes.

Assemble Shahi Toast:

• Arrange the toasted bread slices in a baking dish with no or minimal gap in between each slice ( refer to the image ).
• Pour the prepared rabri or milk pudding over the bread slices in such a manner that each bread slice is evenly soaked in the flavored milk.
• Sprinkle pistachio and almond slivers and rose petals.
• Bake in the oven for 6 – 10 minutes in the middle rack.
• Serve Baked Shahi Tukra warm or chilled garnished with dry-fruits and rose petals.

Recipe Notes:

• It is always best to use full cream or full-fat milk to make rabri.
• If you do not ae cardamom powder, crush 2 – 3 green cardamom pods and add them to the milk.
• You can use whole wheat bread slices as well to make baked shahi tukda.
• Do not bake the bread slices for too long as they might turn too hard and burnt.

Nutrition

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Baked Shahi Tukra Recipe

Equipment

• Saucepan
• Baking Sheet
• Baking Dish

Ingredients

Ingredients For Rabri:

• 1 litre full-cream milk (full fat milk)
• 1 teaspoon saffron strands (kesar)
• 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
• ¼ Cup granulated white sugar or to taste

Ingredients For Toast:

• 6 bread slices

Ingredients for the garnish

• 1 tablespoon pistachio sliver
• 1 tablespoon almond sliver
• 1 tablespoon edible rose petals

Instructions

Prepare Rabri:

• Heat milk in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add saffron, and cardamom powder. Stir to combine.
• Allow the milk to simmer over low heat. Stir to regular intervals to avoid burning the milk. Let the milk simmer till it reduces to almost half the original quantity and has a thick, creamy consistency. This might take 15 - 20 minutes on a low heat.
• Add sugar to the thick milk. Stir to dissolve. Taste, and if required, add more sugar. Turn off the heat. Rabri is ready. Set it aside.

Prepare Toast:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celcius for 10 minutes. Grease a baking tray with a teaspoon of ghee.
• Remove the edges of the bread slices. Cut each bread slice into two equal halves diagonally. Arrange the bread slices in the greased baking tray.
• Bake the bread slices in the oven till they turn crisp. In my oven, it takes 5 - 6 minutes.

Assemble Shahi Toast:

• Arrange the toasted bread slices in a baking dish with no or minimal gap in between each slice ( refer to the image ).
• Pour the prepared rabri or milk pudding over the bread slices in such a manner that each bread slice is evenly soaked in the flavored milk.
• Sprinkle pistachio and almond slivers and rose petals.
• Bake in the oven for 6 - 10 minutes in the middle rack.
• Serve Baked Shahi Tukra warm or chilled garnished with dry-fruits and rose petals.

Video

Notes

• It is always best to use full cream or full-fat milk to make rabri.
• If you do not ae cardamom powder, crush 2 - 3 green cardamom pods and add them to the milk.
• You can use whole wheat bread slices as well to make baked shahi tukda.
• Do not bake the bread slices for too long as they might turn too hard and burnt.

Nutrition

This is a tried and tested khoya (mawa) Gulab Jamun recipe that always yields a mouth-melting result even if you are making them for the first time.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

• My Tried and True Tips
• Watch Gulab Jamun Video
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Khoya Gulab Jamun Recipe

Making Gulab Jamuns at home requires a lot of time and patience. But the homemade ones are just divine. There are unprecedented joy and satisfaction in making a favorite family sweet from scratch.

The smile these sweets bring on the faces of loved ones and the pleasure of sharing a bowl full of homemade goodness with friends is exquisite.

That is the only reason, every year around the festive season like Holi and Diwali , I make a large batch of khoya gulab jamun. And every time I fall in love with this gulab jamun recipe again.

My Tried and True Tips

• Correct measurement: When adding ingredients to prepare the dough, ensure they are correctly measured. An approximate or vague quantity of ingredients never yields the right result. Hence, use measuring cups and spoons for the purpose.
• Kneading the dough: The dough has to be smooth, non-sticky, and 100% lump-free. That is why a kneading of 10 – 15 minutes using the palm’s pressure is required to form a perfect dough. There aren’t any shortcuts to this process.

• Handling the dough: Due to the heat of the palm and hot/humid weather, the dough might become too sticky. Do not panic. After kneading, keep it in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes . Later, wash your hands with cold water and grease your palms with ghee (clarified butter) to shape the balls. This trick has always worked for me.
• Slow frying: For perfect color and even cooking, the khoya balls are always fried at low to medium heat. Keep turning them regularly while frying for even browning. The balls fried at high temperatures turn dark brown and uncooked from the inside.

• Sugar Syrup: The thread consistency of sugar syrup is not required. Once the syrup has stickiness and thickens, turn off the heat. But remember, the sugar syrup becomes thicker once it cools down. So adjust the consistency initially accordingly.
• The aromatics like cardamom powder, saffron, or kewra essence are added to enhance the flavour of the syrup and give it a rich taste. It has nothing to do with the consistency or texture of the syrup.

• Soaking is one of the key steps in making mouth-melting gulab jamuns. Ensure the khoya balls are warm but not piping hot while adding sugar syrup. And the syrup also has to be simmering.
• After adding khoya balls, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and allow the gulab jamuns to sit in sugar syrup for at least 1 – 2 hours. I usually do this process 2 – 3 hours before serving time. Just before serving, heat the sweet in a microwave for 2 – 5 minutes.

Watch Gulab Jamun Video

Yes, it can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container. But try using it within the next 2 – 3 days. The khoya (dried milk) spoils quickly and has a very short shelf life. The best way to store gulab jamuns for a longer duration is not to soak the entire batch in sugar syrup . Keep the fried khoya balls in the fridge.

I usually use the microwave to reheat the gulab jamuns and sugar syrup. They get perfectly soft and spongy. Transfer the sweet to a wide microwave-safe bowl and heat for 5 – 10 minutes at high power. Otherwise, bring them out of the fridge, allow them to sit at room temperature, and then transfer them to a saucepan along with sugar syrup. Cover the pan with a lid and reheat them at low flame for 5 – 10 minutes. But keep checking them while reheating to avoid burning.

There are only two reasons for the same: dough not kneaded properly and left with tiny, uneven lumps of paneer or khoya. It should be smooth, even, and without any lumps. Or gulab jamun fried at very high heat.

Ingredients are not measured correctly or added too much baking soda. Keep the dough in the refrigerator and try making gulab jamuns the next day or after a few hours.

If fried at very high heat, the khoya balls remain uncooked from the inside and crisp from the outside.

Sugar syrup should be sticky and have one string consistency. If it is too thin, gulab jamuns will not absorb the syrup.

More Indian Dessert Recipes for you to try

• Jalebi
• Modak
• Rice Phirni
• Atta Ladoo
• Mawa Barfi
• Besan Ladoo
• Coconut Laddo
• Sattu Ke Laddu

Ingredients

Ingredients For Gulab Jamun:

• ▢ 200 gram khoya (mawa)
• ▢ ⅓ Cup semolina (rava/sooji)
• ▢ ¼ Cup paneer (cottage cheese), crumbled
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ Cup water
• ▢ 4 Cup Ghee/Refined Oil for deep frying

Ingredients For Sugar Syrup:

• ▢ 2 Cup sugar
• ▢ 2 Cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon saffron

Instructions

How To Make Gulab Jamuns With Khoya:

• Grate khoya in a clean bowl. Please note that for soft Gulab Jamun it is necessary to grate khoya and not to crumble it with fingers. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl add sooji and pour ¼ Cup of water over it to moisten and soften sooji. Set aside for 5 – 10 minutes so that water is absorbed by sooji. This helps in mixing it well in the dough. Do not get carried away and add too much water.
• To make a dough, combine grated khoya, softened sooji, crumbled paneer, baking soda, and cardamom powder. Knead well for 5 – 10 minutes or until smooth, soft and firm dough is formed.
• Let it rest for 5 – 10 minutes in the fridge while you heat oil for deep frying.
• To shape Gulab Jamuns, pinch a small portion from the dough and shape it round rolling between your palms. Similarly, shape rest of the gulab jamun.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
• Deep fry the khoya balls in small batches over low heat until dark brown on both sides. Keep the flame low to medium while deep frying for even cooking.
• Drain fried balls on a kitchen towel while you prepare sugar syrup.

How To Make Sugar Syrup:

• Once sugar is dissolved add cardamom powder and saffron. Stir to combine. The sugar syrup is ready for gulab jamun once it stickiness and thickens a bit.
• Add warm jamun to the sugar syrup. Stir nicely. Cover and set aside for 1 – 2 hour before serving.
• Serve Gulab Jamuns warm.

Recipe Notes:

• To make soft Gulab Jamuns, knead the dough very well so that no lumps remain.
• If the dough seems too sticky to shape the balls, keep it in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Always deep-fry jamun over a low to medium heat for even browning and cooking.
• Gulab Jamun increases considerably in size after absorbing the sugar syrup. Hence, shape them accordingly.
• It is important that gulab jamuns are warm and not at room temperature while adding in the hot sugar syrup. If required, microwave fried gulab jamun for 5 minutes before soaking in sugar syrup.
• Let gulab jamun rest in sugar syrup for 1 – 2 hours to get soft and spongy.
• If you do not want to use all the fried balls at a time. Store half of them in the fridge in an air-tight container. Whenever required, make sugar syrup, microwave fried balls, and soak in syrup.

Nutrition

We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy