Gujarati Basundi (Creamy milk dessert)

Milk cooked for hours with sugar, cardamom and nuts. The result a sweet, creamy concoction that makes you drool. Basundi is a sweet which you can eat and eat and never have enough of. Incidentally it is also the first dessert I attempted in US. Its a pretty stright forward recipe, except that it is time consuming and requires attention. You cannot overcook this dish. If you think you cooked it more than needed, just cook it some more and it becomes Rabdi. I use a condensed milk can as it helps the milk thicken quicker and I dont have to measure sugar. For metric conversion it would be approximately 4 liters of milk to a can (approx 280 grams) of sweetened condensed milk.

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

10-12 cashewnuts

10-12 almonds

10-12 raisins

10-12 pistachios

In a heavy bottomed pan bring the milk to boil stirring constantly. Add the cardamom and condensed milk. Continue to heat the milk stirring constantly. Do not allow the milk to settle at the bottom and this will quickly burn and give a burnt smoky smell to the dish. Blanch the dry fruits and remove the skin of the almonds. Roughly chop the nuts. When the milk has reduced to two-thirds of its original consistency add the nuts and raisins. When done the color of the milk changes to a pale beige. This dish can be served warm or chilled.