No Indian meal is complete without a dessert. Also known as mithai, desserts are a huge and important part of Indian cuisine. These sweet treats are full of spices, and dry fruits, often soaked in sugar and rose syrup, giving your taste buds a gastronomical journey like never before. One such delectable delight is rabri. Often made for special occasions, this dessert is an absolute favourite by kids and adults alike. It is extremely versatile and with its rising popularity, different versions of it have emerged. Coconut Rabri is one such version. Sounds exciting but don't know how to make it? Fret not! Read on to learn more about this sweet dish and how to make it!
Also Read: World Coconut Day: 11 Best Coconut Recipes | Nariyal Recipes
Coconut rabri is easy to make!
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What Is Rabri Made Of?
One of the best-known desserts in North India, Rabri is a traditional dish made with full-fat milk, sugar, chopped nuts and cardamom. This dessert is packed with calcium, vitamins and minerals which are beneficial for our bones and immune system. Rabri is a stand-alone dessert but is also paired with other delicacies like gulab jamun, malpua, poori and the most famous, jalebi. This thick dessert's key ingredient is milk and is usually extremely tasty, creamy and full of flavours.
Origin Of Rabri
As per legends, this versatile, sweet dessert originated in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh but was perfected in Varanasi. From there, the famed rabri spread to Lucknow, Maharashtra and Gujarat. This led to several variations of the dessert, most famously, Basundi. Some of the other famous versions of this sweet treat are Rajasthani Rabri, Punjabi Rabri Falooda, Bengali Payesh with Rabri, and South Indian coconut rabri.
Coconut rabri has several health benefits.
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How To Make Coconut Rabri: Recipe To Make Coconut Rabri
In a small bowl, soak 10-15 cashews in hot water. Leave it aside for 15 minutes. In the meantime, take a pan and pour full cream milk in it. Keep heating it until it starts boiling. When it does, reduce the flame and keep cooking the milk till it's 3/4th in quantity. Make sure to keep stirring it so that it does not stick to the pan.
At this point, add saffron strands and khoya to the milk. Keep stirring it for a few minutes and scrap whatever gets stuck to the side of the pan. Take a mixer and blend the soaked cashews till they become a fine paste. Now add sugar and grated coconut to the mixture. Mix it well and keep stirring till the milk starts to thicken. To this add the cashew paste and keep cooking till it loses its rawness.
To this mixture, add crushed cardamom and stir it well. Remove from flame and let it cool. Transfer the coconut rabri to serving bowls and garnish with rose petals and chopped nuts. And voila! Your coconut rabri is ready to dig in! You can serve it with jalebi or gulab jamun!
Read the full recipe here
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