Eid 2018: How To Make Double Ka Meetha For Your Eid Gathering

All the Muslims around the country are celebrating Eid Ul-Fitr today, 16 June, 2018. The festive vibe has begun to take over the air already. This year the Eid is expected to be celebrated on 15th June 2018. Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the first day of the month of Shawwal. Eid is one of the most widely celebrated festivals across the globe. Eid Ul-Fitr is also known as 'Meethi Eid.'  This is because the principle dish of Meethi Eid is sevaiyyian, or sweet vermicelli. Restaurateur and Chef Osama Jalali tells us ksheer khurma is one of the most widely prepared dessert around Eid festivities. It is a milky and dense pudding made with vermicelli, which is generally savoured first thing in the morning after the first namaz (prayer) of the day on Eid. But, if you are thinking Eid is just about the sevaiyyan, you cannot be further from truth. A quintessential Eid spread is a mish-mash of several wholesome meaty dishes and indulgent sweetmeats and one of them is"Double ka Meetha." Double ka meetha is a delicious dessert popular in Hyderabad, Telangana. The Indian bread pudding was a celebratory dish in the princely courts of Nizams and is still prepared lavishly for celebratory occasions as weddings and parties. Double ka meetha is one of the most widely prepared desserts during the Eid celebrations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In terms of appearance and taste, double ka meetha can safely be called a close cousin of Awadhi 'shahi tukda' - which is also made by frying small pieces of bread, dipped in condensed milk, and dry fruits and infused with a hint of cardamom. Double ka meetha is called so because the principle ingredient is bread, which is referred "Double Roti" in the local dialects. Chef Sadaf Hussain, contestant of MasterChef India 2016, tells us "Although, shahi tukda and double ka meetha has the similar process and ingredients with just one difference, which is in the thickness of the bread. The name double ka meetha originated in Hyderabad where when the khansamas used to soak the bread, it'd puff up and become double in size and perhaps this changed the name of shahi tukda to double ka meetha." He also tells us, "shahi tukda was a favourite in Mughal courts. Shahi khansamas used to take keen interest in inventing and developing new dishes to please their kings. Food was taken very seriously in the Mughal courts. For shahi tukda, khansamas used to deep fry or baked the bread slices and then dip it in the sugar syrup with saffron and rose water and then covered with dry fruits, thickened milk and cream."  
(Also Read: Eid 2018: 5 Traditional Eid Sweets To Spread The Cheer This Festive Season​)
 The delightful sweetmeat has a ridiculously easy to make recipe and you don't even need a train of ingredients to get the dessert right. Here's how to make a decadent double ka meetha for Eid 2018. 

Eid 2018: What Ingredients Would Need To Make Double Ka Meetha? 

• A Bread loaf
• Half a litre milk
• Half a cup sugar
• Chopped dry fruits and nuts like almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins
• 2 cardamoms
• 3 tsp Ghee
• Half to 3/4th cup of water

Eid 2018: How To Make Hyderabadi Double Ka Meetha

1. Heat milk on medium flame in a non-stick pan.
2. Reduce the flame to low and heat until the milk is reduced to half. Add saffron strands and cardamom and keep stirring. Turn off the heat and pour the milk into a bowl. Let it cool.
3. Now, prepare the sugar syrup. For this you would need to take half a glass of water. Put some sugar and bring it to boil. Heat and stir until you get a one string consistency.
4. Cut the bread in cubes and fry them in ghee until they turn golden brown. Make sure you check the temperature of oil in advance, else you can burn the bread.
5. Take out the fried bread pieces and place them on a tray. Make sure you place a tissue on the tray beforehand to help the bread drain better. 
6. Now, layer the fried bread with sugar syrup and condensed saffron milk. Top it with nuts and dry fruits of your choice. Let the bread soak in the mixture for at least 30 minutes. Once the bread soaks in the milk mixture, serve the dessert. 

There are many ways you can make the dessert. This is one of the most fuss-free way of making the toothsome dish. Some people also opt to bake it. Don't forget to share with us how you like to make the delicious dessert your way in the comments section.Eid Mubarak everybody!