INGREDIENTS
18 almonds, soaked overnight in water
2 tablespoons poppy seeds, soaked overnight
2 tablespoons melon seeds, soaked overnight
14 cashew nuts
8 pistachios (pista), unsalted
4 black peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)
4 green cardamom pods, husks removed, seeds retained
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
16 dried rose petals
1 liter whole milk, or full-cream milk (about 4 cups)
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 1 tablespoon warm milk
COOKING METHOD
- Soak almonds in water to cover. Separately, soak poppy seeds and melon seeds in ½ cup water. Leave overnight.
- Peel almonds. Place drained almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, poppy seeds, and melon seeds in a grinder. Grind to a fine paste adding a bit of milk, as needed, to run the blender / wet grinder.
- Separately, place black peppercorns, seeds from green cardamoms, fennel seeds, and dried rose petals in a grinder. Grind to a fine powder.
- Bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan and add sugar. Stir till completely dissolved. Add nut paste to the saucepan and stir to combine while breaking any lumps that might form. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in grind spice powder (reserving ½ teaspoon) and simmer for another minute. Remove from heat.
- Stir in saffron along with its soaking milk. Set aside to cool to room temperature, allowing the flavors to develop. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Pour into 4 glasses and add a pinch of the reserved spice powder into each glass. Serve immediately.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes plus overnight unattended soaking time and 2 hours unattended chilling time
Cook Time: 20 minutes