Chocolate Basundi

Chocolate Basundi

According to the Hindu Calendar the month of August marked the beginning of the auspicious month of “SHRAVAN”. That usually means a lot of festivals and good times  with friends and family. With that in mind I am going to keep my craziness in check for a while and make those recipes I grew up eating on such festival days.  In India no festival is going to be complete without a variety of sweets so I am going to start of by making the quick and easy “BASUNDI”. It is a rich and delectable dessert flavored with cardamom and garnished with pistachios for a bit of crunch.

Basundi is typically milk which is thickened on a low flame and then sweetened and flavored as per taste. Now you may think that this dish is going to be extremely time consuming. But here’s the good news!!! You can use condensed milk to drastically reduce the cooking time. If you find sweetened condensed milk too sweet then use the unsweetened version and add sugar later on. It is usually made on special occasions in my home state of Maharashtra as well as our neighbor Gujarat. In the northern parts of India there is a similar preparation known as “RABRI” but its consistency is slightly thicker than the Basundi.

Growing up my mom always reserved this delicacy for the king of all festivals i.e DIWALI. But my mind works a little differently. I couldn’t wait for Diwali which wasn’t going to come for another two months. I decided to make it for the RAKHI festival which just happened to be this week (LAUGHS!!!!). Just look at the picture!!! Can y’all seriously blame me for being that impatient??? (CHUCKLES!!!).

Chocolate Basundi

RAKHI is a festival celebrating the special bond between a brother and sister and is celebrated with a lot of fanfare all over India. If my sister was with me on this special day then this dish would have been like a cherry on top of my chocolate ice cream so to speak. The truth is she is not here so I can’t have my chocolate ice cream but I can at least have “CHOCOLATE BASUNDI”. My sweet tooth always wants chocolate so I couldn’t resist making this variation of the traditional recipe by using chocolate milk instead of regular milk.

Chocolate Basundi

It is extremely easy to make and requires very few ingredients. Simply get milk to a boil on medium heat. Then add the sweetened condensed milk and simmer for about 10 minutes. Scrape the sides as milk thickens. Finally add cardamom for extra flavor and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Top it with pistachios or any nuts of your choice. Serve warm or chilled.  Rest assured, one sip is going to make you want to drink the entire bowl in one go!!!!

Chocolate Basundi

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Chocolate Basundi

Chocolate Basundi

Rahul
A Rich, Creamy, Cardamom flavored dessert garnished with Crunchy Pistachios.
5 from 2 votes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups Chocolate Milk
  • ¾ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • ¼ cup Pistachios
  • 10 Cardamom Pods

Instructions
 

  • Get milk to a boil on medium heat.
  • Then add the condensed milk and simmer for about 10 minutes. Scrape the sides as milk thickens.
  • Peel the cardamom pods and grind the seeds into a fine powder.
  • Then add cardamom for extra flavor and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
  • Top it with pistachios or any nuts of your choice.
  • Serve hot or cold as per taste.


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