Double Ka Meetha

It is leavened double roti, and it soaks in sugar syrup rather than milk.

Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains dairy (ghee), dairy (mawa), dairy (milk).

Ingredients

• 8 slices leavened milk bread, double roti
• 150 g ghee, for frying
• 300 g sugar
• 300 ml water
• a generous pinch of saffron
• 6 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 tablespoon kewra water
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• 200 g Rabri, as on its own page, or 150 g mawa
• 60 g almonds, pistachios and cashews, slivered
• 2 tablespoons ghee, for the nuts

Method

1. IT IS LEAVENED DOUBLE ROTI, AND IT SOAKS IN SUGAR SYRUP RATHER THAN MILK. Its article explains the name as the method: double roti means LEAVENED MILK BREAD THAT RISES TO NEARLY DOUBLE ITS SIZE during baking, and the dish is literally "sweet of the double bread". That bread is deep-fried in ghee until golden brown and crisp, and then SOAKED IN THE SYRUP -- a syrup of sugar, water, cardamom, saffron, kewra water and rose water. Syrup, not milk, which is the difference from Shahi Tukra, as on its own page: its article says this one was INSPIRED BY that one but ADAPTED LOCALLY USING AVAILABLE BREAD.
2. THE BREAD IS AN OPEN, LEAVENED LOAF, NOT A TIGHT WHITE SLICE. Its whole name turns on that. A close-textured bread will not take the syrup up through itself.
3. IT IS DEEP-FRIED, WHICH ITS ARTICLE SAYS, AND NOT SHALLOW-FRIED. Until golden brown and CRISP. Crisp is the word that matters -- a limp slice collapses in syrup.
4. THE SYRUP IS MADE SEPARATELY AND KEPT WARM. Sugar and water boiled to a thin one-thread syrup with the cardamom and saffron.
5. THE KEWRA AND ROSE WATER GO IN OFF THE HEAT. Both are lost to boiling, and between them they are most of what distinguishes the smell of this dish.
6. THE BREAD IS SOAKED, THEN LIFTED OUT. Its article says soaked in the syrup TO ABSORB THE FLAVOURS and then allowed to rest so that it soaks up the syrup WHILE RETAINING A SLIGHTLY CHEWY TEXTURE. Slightly chewy is the target, so it does not sit in syrup indefinitely.
7. THE RABRI OR MAWA IS A LAYER, NOT A STIR-IN. Its article says OFTEN A LAYER of rabri or mawa is added. Spooned over the soaked bread.
8. THE NUTS ARE ROASTED IN GHEE FIRST, WHICH ITS ARTICLE SPECIFIES. Almonds, pistachios and cashews, roasted in ghee and SPRINKLED ON TOP.
9. IT IS SERVED WARM OR CHILLED AND ITS ARTICLE LEAVES THE CHOICE OPEN. It also records modern versions: baked rather than fried for less oil, made with condensed milk, or built on plant milks.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under India · All recipes