Doodh Pak

Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">A Gujarati sweet dish, Doodh Pak is essentially another variant of the ubiquitous Kheer. Mainly made of ingredients like saffron, ghee, raisins, cashew, almonds, sugar and cardamom, Doodh Pak is the perfect finale after sumptuous thaalis the state is so well known for. Even the method of preparing the Doodh Pak is similar to Kheer, wherein the rice is soaked in water for hours before it is marinated with ghee and then added to boiled milk. The entire dessert is cooked in medium-to-slow heat, so as to not compromise the consistency of the dish.

There is another extremely popular variant of the Doodh Pak made by the Parsi community. Also called Dudhpak, this dessert differs in the ingredients used. Instead of the rice pudding method, Parsis use milk, sugar and eggs. After the sweetened milk is allowed to boil and sit for some time, spices like crushed cardamom, vanilla essence, charoli and grated nutmeg are added to the dish. Then it is allowed to sit on a low fire and is stirred continuously to avoid any kind of curdling. Once the mixture reaches a dense thickness, you know you have the famous Dudhpak. It is often garnished with almond shavings and cardamom powder. After refrigerating it for a few hours, it attains a cake-like consistency, perfect for serving.

The sweetmeat is a festive treat, especially served during occasions like the Kali Chaudas Day (Naraka Chaturdashi). Kali Chaudas Day is observed by people to remember and pay respect to the souls of their departed ancestors. Other celebrations that the sweet is a part of are Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan (both celebrated by siblings across India).

This rice pudding is often eaten on its own, but is generally served with a side of hot puris (Indian flatbreads) to dunk into the creamy wonder.