Try Shahi Tukda – a royal dessert that is easy to whip up! Baked buttered slices of bread soaked in cardamom-scented syrup and topped with vegan cashew saffron Rabri custard.
Shahi Tudka – I think of this as a Royal French toast. But it’s actually more of a dessert than a breakfast food. It’s a sweet Mughlai dessert often made by frying bread in ghee (clarified butter) or oil, then soaked in a cardamon scented sugar syrup then topped with Indian Rabri. The Rabri which is a saffron scented thickened milk pudding can be made thick or thin and the bread soaked in it completely or served with the Rabri topping.
In this Vegan version and my lighter take of shahi tukda, I bake the bread. Baking toasts the bread evenly. You can use a toaster too, but the bread doesn’t toast evenly or fry out enough and can get soggy quickly that way. I make a thick custard like Rabri with all the same delicious flavors and assemble and serve.
I bake the sliced bread instead of frying, and then coat it in some sugar syrup and top it with a delicious vegan rabri. Oooh, la la!
Despite the sugar syrup, it’s not a cloyingly sweet dessert as Indian mithai tend to be. It’s creamy and delicious with the crisp toast lightening it up.
This is a great dessert to serve during Ramadan. Its easy delicious and festive.
Don’t have saffron? Use cardamom instead or use other flavors like rose or vanilla.
More recipes using saffron:
More Indian desserts
Recipe Card
Shahi Tukda (Crisp syrup soaked toasts with Rabri pudding)
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices your favorite bread the edges removed and sliced into shapes that you prefer
- 2-3 teaspoons oil or melted vegan butter
For the sugar syrup
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 green cardamom pod opened or 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon lime juice
For the Rabri custard
- 3 tablespoons cashews
- 1 teaspoon all purpose flour or use a gf blend
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 7 strands saffron
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) oat milk
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 2 tablespoons crust of the bread slices that you sliced earlier omit for Glutenfree
- chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions
- Slice the bread into triangles or circles or rectangles. Then place the bread in a baking dish or a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush the bread with oil or melted vegan butter all over and put it in the oven at 400F (205C) for 10-12 minutes or until the bread is starting to turn evenly golden. Remove the bread from the oven.
Make the sugar syrup.
- Add all of the ingredients to a skillet and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture starts to feel slightly thick take off heat. It will take a minute or two after coming to a boil. Set the sugar syrup aside.
Make the custard.
- Blend all of the ingredients under custard until the cashews have broken down really well. I usually blend it for 1 minute then let it sit for 5 minutes and blend again, then repeat 2-3 times until the cashews have blended in really well.
- Add custard to a saucepan over medium heat and still and bring to a simmer until it thickens evenly. It will become an evenly thick custard. Taste and adjust sweet and set aside. If you like your Rabri thinner, add in 1/2 to 1 cup more non dairy milk, mix and bring to boil. Then take off heat.
- To assemble, take each of the toasted slices and dip it in the (now warm and not too hot ) sugar syrup on both sides, Or you can brush the sugar syrup on both the sides. Then plate the bread on serving dish or individual plates.
- Repeat for all the bread sliced. Then top them with a generous helping of the custard. I usually put some on the center of bread slices, Sprinkle with chopped pistachios for garnish and serve immediately.
- Keep all of these 3 things separate until you’re ready to serve. You can warm up the sugar syrup a little bit then brush on the toast, then top with the custard whether warm or cold and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Sahi Tukda Ingredients:
- bread: we toast the bread in the oven for an even golden toast
- for the sugar syrup, we combine maple syrup with sugar, cardamom, water, and lime juice
- for the rabri , we blend cashews with sugar, saffron, and oat milk and some of the bread for texture, so luscious
Tips:
- Keep toast, syrup, and custard separate until you’re ready to serve. You can warm up the sugar syrup a little bit then brush on the toast, then top with the custard whether warm or cold, and serve.
- The sugar syrup might thicken too much on cooling completely, so soak when the syrup is warm. Don’t dip the bread into very hot syrup. Wait for 3-4 mins then dip.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free bread.
How to make Shahi Tukda
Slice the bread into triangles or circles or rectangles. Then place the bread in a baking dish or a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush the bread with oil or melted vegan butter all over and put it in the oven at 400F (205C) for 10-12 minutes or until the bread is starting to turn evenly golden. Remove the bread from the oven.
Make the sugar syrup.
Add all of the ingredients to a skillet and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture starts to feel slightly thick take off heat. It will take a minute or two after coming to a boil. Set the sugar syrup aside.
Make the custard.
Blend all of the ingredients under custard until the cashews have broken down really well. I usually blend it for 1 minute then let it sit for 5 minutes and blend again, then repeat 2-3 times until the cashews have blended in really well
Add custard to a saucepan over medium heat and still and bring to a simmer until it thickens evenly. It will become an evenly thick custard. Taste and adjust sweet and set aside.
To assemble your Shahi Tukda, take each of the toasted slices and dip it in the (now warm and not too hot ) sugar syrup on both sides, Or you can brush the sugar syrup on both sides. Then plate the bread on a serving dish or individual plates.
Repeat for all the bread slices. Then top them with a generous helping of the custard. I usually put some on the center of bread slices, Sprinkle with chopped pistachios for garnish and serve immediately.
storage
Keep all of these 3 things separate until you’re ready to serve. You can warm up the sugar syrup a little bit then brush on the toast, then top with the custard whether warm or cold and serve.
Emily
Made these for a light evening dessert. They came out beautifully! I am making that Rabri to top all the desserts!
Vegan Richa Support
wow!