Sarbhaja

The skins of milk stacked and then fried, which is what the name says.

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

Ingredients

• 3 litres whole milk
• 200 g caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ghee for deep frying
• 300 g granulated sugar, for the syrup
• 200 ml water, for the syrup

Method

1. THE SKINS OF MILK ARE STACKED AND THEN FRIED, WHICH IS WHAT THE NAME SAYS. Its article takes the word apart and the word is the recipe: the sweet's name comes from SAR, THE SURFACE CREAMY LAYER OF MILK WHICH IS ITS MAIN INGREDIENT, AND THE WORD BHAJA REFERS TO THE FRYING OF THE SAR. It adds that THE SARBHAJA USES COW'S MILK AND GHEE IS USED FOR FRYING, and that it IS FRIED UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN IN COLOR.
2. AND IT MAKES A TRIO WITH TWO SWEETS ALREADY HERE. Rabri lifts each skin off as it forms and keeps it; basundi is stirred constantly so no skin forms at all; this one fries it. One pan, one film of milk, three contrary instructions -- and each of the three is on its own page.
3. SO THE WORK IS COLLECTING THE SKINS, AND IT TAKES HOURS. Three litres of milk at a bare simmer in a wide pan, undisturbed. A skin forms in four or five minutes; lift it with a skewer onto a plate and wait for the next. Twenty or more from three litres.
4. DO NOT STIR AT ANY POINT. One stir and the skin goes back into the milk, which is exactly what basundi wants and this cannot have.
5. LAYER THE SKINS WITH SUGAR AND PRESS THEM. A plate, a skin, a dusting of caster sugar and cardamom, the next skin, and so on. Then a weight on top for two hours in the fridge until the stack holds as one slab.
6. CUT IT INTO SQUARES WHILE IT IS COLD AND FIRM. Warm, the layers slide apart in the pan.
7. FRY THEM IN GHEE UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN. Medium heat, a minute or two a side. The outside crisps and the layers inside stay soft, which is the whole texture of the thing.
8. A SHORT DIP IN WARM SYRUP, THEN OUT. Thirty seconds, no longer -- the point is a fried sweet, not a soaked one. Its article dates the earliest mention to the 15th-century Chaitanya Charitamrita and notes it is taken to households on Vijaya and other festive occasions.

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.

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