Double Ka Meetha: A Sweet Treat with Indian Regional Variations
Double ka Meetha, beloved in Hyderabad, India, is a celebration of the "magnificent" pudding, which consists of fried bread drains soaked in sweetened milk and infused with the very fine aroma of saffron cardamom. It makes a prayerful feast during the festivities, especially during Eid.
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Bread: Traditionally, white milk bread is used. It is cut into pieces and fried until golden brown.
Milk: For that richness, full cream milk is reduced to half.
Sugar Syrup: A simple syrup made by boiling sugar and water until it slightly thickens.
Spices: Cardamom powder and saffron strands impart a fragrant and exotic flavor.
Garnished with nuts: Slice or sliver the almonds and pistachios.
Ghee: To fry the sliced bread, use some ghee for a rich taste.
Preparation Overview:
Fry the Bread: Cut bread slices into quarters and deep fry in ghee until crisp and golden brown.
Create sugar syrup: Squeeze sugar and water to prepare slightly thick syrup.
Reduction of the Milk: The milk gets reduced by half by simmering and then flavored with cardamom, saffron, and khoya for richness if desired.
Build the Dessert: The fried bread pieces are soaked in sugar syrup and then assembling them into a dish the reduced milk mixture is poured over it and garnished with nuts.
Serve: Leave it for some time so that the flavors of the bread get absorbed. Serve warm or chilled.
People of Hyderabad immediately relate Double ka Meetha to their city, but such a sweet dessert made out of bread is common in other parts of India as well:
Shahi Tukda: This is another Mughal dessert, although Indians have made it their own. It consists of bread fried pieces soaked in sugar syrup or rabri (a mixture of thickened sweetened milk) and then garnished with nuts.
Bread Halwa: Most popular in South India, this halwa is produced from ghee-roasted bread cut pieces cooked in sugar, milk, and cardamom until achieving a halwa-like texture.
These varieties prove that bread has its own versatility in Indian sweet dishes. Each one is an experience waiting to happen in the context of the region.