Doodh Pak is a classic Gujarati sweet dish. It is similar to rice kheer but has a unique taste and consistency that sets it apart.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Doodh Pak
- Serving Suggestion
- My Tried and True Tips
- Gujarati Doodh Pak Recipe
Doodh Pak is a pudding milk, rice, and sugar, flavoured with cardamom, saffron, and nuts. It is a quintessential part of Gujarati thali meal or festive food fare. This rich, creamy, and aromatic sweet dish is often prepared during festivals, special occasions, and celebrations.
Doodh Pak is more than just a dessert; it’s a comforting, Grandma style simple yet satisfying sweet dish.
Difference between Doodh Pak and Kheer: The key difference between these two Indian desserts are the consistency and the preparation method. Otherwise both require same set of ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Milk preferably full-fat milk for a richer taste and creamy texture.
- Medium Grain White Rice with less starch, washed and soaked.
- Granulated White Sugar to sweeten the doodh pak.
- Milk Powder to get the thick consistency.
- Cardamom Powder and Saffron to flavour the doodh pak.
- Nuts (almonds, pistachio, cashew) peeled, and sliced.
- Chironji is the key ingredient of this Gujarati dessert recipe.
- Nutmeg Powder: A pinch (optional)
How To Make Doodh Pak
Step 1: Wash and soak rice
- Wash rice thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. This step helps remove excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming too sticky.
- Soak the washed rice in water for at least 30 minutes. This soaking process helps the rice cook faster and more evenly when added to the milk.
Step 2: Start simmering milk
- Reserve 1 Cup of milk. Keep it aside.
- Pour rest of the milk into a heavy bottom saucepan or kadhai.
- Bring the milk to a gentle boil while stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Step 3: Cook rice
- Once the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the soaked rice. Cook slowly in the milk.
- Stir occasionally to avoid any scorching. Keep cooking over low heat till rice is soft and mushy and the milk starts thickening.
Step 4: Make condensed milk
- Combine sugar, milk powder, and the one cup reserved milk in a pan.
- Simmer over low heat till it becomes thick and sticky liquid like a condensed milk.
Step 5: Flavouring the Doodh Pak
- Add the saffron strands, cardamom powder, chironji, homemade condensed milk, and a pinch of nutmeg powder.
- Continue to cook the Doodh Pak on low heat until the milk reduces to a thick, creamy consistency and the rice is fully cooked and soft.
- Now, add the sliced almonds, and pistachios. Stir them in, reserving a few for garnishing.
Serving Suggestion
Remove the Doodh Pak from the heat and let it cool slightly. The dish can be served warm or chilled, depending on your preference.
If you want to make it more festive, you can garnish it with saffron strands, rose petals, and the reserved nuts just before serving.
Serve the Doodh Pak in small bowls and enjoy this traditional Gujarati sweet, either on its own or as a complement to a festive meal.
My Tried and True Tips
- Milk Quality: Always use full-fat milk to get the creamiest consistency. The richness of the milk is key to the texture of the Doodh Pak.
- Short Grain Starchy Rice is not the right choice for this Indian dessert recipe. I highly recommend not to use basmati rice for making doodh pak. It will not give you the desired consistency.
- Consistency: Doodh Pak thickens as it cools. If it becomes too thick, you can add a little warm milk or water to adjust the consistency before serving.
- Nuts: Feel free to experiment with other nuts like walnuts or raisins, depending on your taste.
More Indian Sweet Recipes
- Basundi
- Shrikhand
- Mawa Barfi
- Rava Kesari
- Badam Kheer
- Moong Dal Halwa
- Baked Shahi Tukda
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 litre full fat milk
- ▢ ¼ Cup white rice (medium grain)
- ▢ ¼ Cup granulated white sugar
- ▢ ¼ Cup milk powder (dairy whitener), unsweetened
- ▢ 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chironji (charoli)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio
Instructions
Prep Work
- Wash rice thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. This step helps remove excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming too sticky.
- Soak the washed rice in water for at least 30 minutes. This soaking process helps the rice cook faster and more evenly when added to the milk.
- Reserve 1 Cup of milk. Keep it aside.
- Combine sugar, milk powder, and the one cup reserved milk in a pan. Mix.
- Simmer over low heat till it becomes thick and sticky liquid like a condensed milk. Turn off the heat. This is homemade condensed milk.
Making Doodh Pak
- Pour rest of the milk into a heavy bottom saucepan or kadhai. Bring the milk to a gentle boil while stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the soaked rice. Cook slowly in the milk.
- Stir occasionally to avoid any scorching. Keep cooking over low heat till rice is soft and mushy and the milk starts thickening.
- Add the saffron strands, cardamom powder, chironji, homemade condensed milk, and a pinch of nutmeg powder.
- Continue to cook the Doodh Pak on low heat until the milk reduces to a thick, creamy consistency and the rice is fully cooked and soft.
- Now, add the sliced almonds, and pistachios. Stir them in, reserving a few for garnishing.
- Serve the Doodh Pak warm or cold garnished with sliced nuts and saffron strands.
Recipe Notes:
- The best rice for doodh pak is medium grain, less starchy, uncooked white rice.
- The sugar is always added towards the end of the cooking process. Once the milk is thickened, and the rice is perfectly mushy, then add sugar.
- Do not use pre cooked rice for making Doodh Pak.
- Many recipes suggest frying soaked rice in a teaspoon of ghee before cooking in the milk.
Nutrition
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Gujarati Doodh Pak Recipe
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 1 litre full fat milk
- ¼ Cup white rice (medium grain)
- ¼ Cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ Cup milk powder (dairy whitener), unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder (elaichi powder)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron (kesar)
- 1 tablespoon chironji (charoli)
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon sliced pistachio
Instructions
Prep Work
- Wash rice thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. This step helps remove excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming too sticky.
- Soak the washed rice in water for at least 30 minutes. This soaking process helps the rice cook faster and more evenly when added to the milk.
- Reserve 1 Cup of milk. Keep it aside.
- Combine sugar, milk powder, and the one cup reserved milk in a pan. Mix.
- Simmer over low heat till it becomes thick and sticky liquid like a condensed milk. Turn off the heat. This is homemade condensed milk.
Making Doodh Pak
- Pour rest of the milk into a heavy bottom saucepan or kadhai. Bring the milk to a gentle boil while stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the milk starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the soaked rice. Cook slowly in the milk.
- Stir occasionally to avoid any scorching. Keep cooking over low heat till rice is soft and mushy and the milk starts thickening.
- Add the saffron strands, cardamom powder, chironji, homemade condensed milk, and a pinch of nutmeg powder.
- Continue to cook the Doodh Pak on low heat until the milk reduces to a thick, creamy consistency and the rice is fully cooked and soft.
- Now, add the sliced almonds, and pistachios. Stir them in, reserving a few for garnishing.
- Serve the Doodh Pak warm or cold garnished with sliced nuts and saffron strands.
Notes
- The best rice for doodh pak is medium grain, less starchy, uncooked white rice.
- The sugar is always added towards the end of the cooking process. Once the milk is thickened, and the rice is perfectly mushy, then add sugar.
- Do not use pre cooked rice for making Doodh Pak.
- Many recipes suggest frying soaked rice in a teaspoon of ghee before cooking in the milk.
Nutrition
Follow my tips to make bright, lip-smacking mint chutney recipe each time. Also known as green chutney or pudina chutney.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
- What is ‘Chutney’?
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Avoid Black and Bitter Mint Chutney
- Serving Suggestion
- Storage Suggestion
- Mint Chutney Recipe
What is ‘Chutney’?
Mint Chutney is a spicy Indian dip, also known as green chutney or pudina chutney. It is an essential dip for Indian snacks and Chaat. There are hundreds of chutney recipes followed across India among them pudina chutney is one of the most popular one. It is bold, delicious, and refreshing at the same time.
Why You’ll Love This Chutney Recipe
- easy to make and store
- vegan and vegetarian
- low calorie side dish
- rich in anti-oxidants
- gluten and nut free
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mint Leaves are the key ingredient for making this green chutney. Do not use dried mint leaves or mint powder.
- Coriander Leaves balance the bitterness of mint leaves. Do not throw away coriander stalks as they add a lot of flavour to the chutney.
- Green Chilli adds spiciness. Jalapeno or any other mildly spicy green chilli works for making chutney.
- Ginger and Garlic: I love the flavor of garlic and ginger in my chutney. Skip adding garlic if you are allergic or do not like it.
- Cumin Powder gives an earthy, roasted flavour to the chutney.
- Mango Powder gives a sour, lip-smacking taste to the chutney. You can use lemon or lime juice, rock salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, or a tablespoon of sour cream to get the same taste.
- Sugar balances the spiciness and gives a subtle sweet taste to the chutney making it perfectly umami.
How To Avoid Black and Bitter Mint Chutney
The biggest challenge with the mint chutney is at times – it turns black and bitter. I am sharing a few tips and tricks to avoid black and bitter green chutney:
- Green Chutney turns black when exposed to air for a longer duration due to oxidation.
Tip: This can be prevented by storing chutney in an airtight container. Or you can 1 – 2 ice cubes while blending the chutney to control the heat generated from the blender.
- Often mint chutney tastes bitter. Usually, there are two reasons responsible for the same. First, the chutney is blended for too long leading to the release of bitter juices of mint leaves. Second, the ratio of mint leaves to other ingredients is not correct.
Tip: Ensure one or two blitzes in a blender are enough to make chutney. Or use the traditional mortar and pestle to make it. Add coriander leaves to balance the bitterness of mint leaves.
Serving Suggestion
From an enticing dip to a finger-licking side dish for Indian main course dishes , a pudina chutney can be many things. It is a quintessential part of an Indian thali .
A teaspoon of green chutney on aloo tikki chaat and suddenly it turns into a tantalizing appetizer. Served on the side of tandoori prawns or paneer tikka with onion rings and you have the perfect Indian appetizer platter.
You can layer the green chutney as a spread on bread slices to make Indian Style Cheese Chutney Sandwich .
Storage Suggestion
It is always best to store green chutney in a clean, airtight container in the fridge. It remains fresh in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
But after a few hours, the mint chutney starts changing its color from bright green to dark green. Hence, it is best to consume it within a day or two.
More Indian Chutney Recipes
- Apple Raisin Chutney
- Green Mango Chutney
- Roasted Tomato Chutney
- Coconut Coriander Chutney
- Sweet Raw Mango Chutney
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 Cup fresh mint leaves
- ▢ 1 Cup fresh coriander leaves
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger, roughly chopped
- ▢ 2 garlic cloves
- ▢ 2 green chili, chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchur powder)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (jeera powder)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 4 tablespoon water or use 2 – 3 ice cubes
Instructions
- To make the chutney, first clean and wash the green leaves.
- In a blender add all the ingredients to make the chutney along with water or ice cubes.
- Blend the ingredients to a smooth paste to make the chutney. If required, add more water. Transfer chutney to a clean bowl.
- Serve Mint Chutney with snacks or store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes:
- Do not blend the chutney for too long else it will turn black and bitter.
- If the chutney seems too watery or spicy or bitter, add a tablespoon of thick, plain curd/yogurt and blend one more time.
Nutrition
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