Sehri and Iftaar are the two most crucial meals during Ramadan, one you consume pre-dawn, and the other helps to break fast after sunset. Along with savouries, many people like to have at least one sweet dish. It makes the entire meal wholesome. In India, milk-based sweets are commonly found as a part of the festive spread, irrespective of the diverse culture that the country boasts.
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Milk-based sweets are healthy, satisfying, and comforting. Not to mention that they offer the much-needed nutrients and hydration to the body so that you can fast without inconvenience. Mentioned below are a few options of milk-based sweet delicacies that you can consider as a part of the Sehri spread during Ramadan 2024.
Sheer Khurma
Made with vermicelli by cooking the small strands in milk, this dish resembles seviyan. It is sweetened with sugar, but you can opt for healthier sweeteners and enjoy the dish. To enhance the flavours, you can add cardamom, dates, and saffron and top the delicacy with dried fruits and nuts to elevate its nutritional value.
Phirni
Phirni is nothing but milk-based rice pudding. The ground rice grains are cooked in milk, making them soft, fluffy, and creamy. The dish boasts a thick consistency and is sweetened with sugar, the amount of which can be regulated depending on how much sweetness you prefer. Top the dish with cardamom seeds and rose water, and serve it to your family members.
Rabdi
Rabdi is a popular milk-based sweet dish in North India. It is prepared by simmering full-fat milk in a large pot with a flat surface until its amount reduces and the consistency thickens. While the milk reduces, you can add sugar so that it dissolves in the process. Aromatic ingredients like saffron, cardamom, and rose water are added along with dried fruits to make it nutritious. Serve it cold.
Also Read: 7 Egg-Based Recipes You Must Try For Sehri
Muhallabia
Muhallabia is a milk-based dessert famous in the Middle-Eastern countries. It includes ingredients like cornstarch or rice flour, milk, and sugar. It looks like a pudding which you can serve in glasses and top with pomegranate seeds, pistachios, rose water, saffron strands, and mint leaves. It tastes delicious and has a hydrating effect on the body.
Rasmalai
Rasmalai is the cousin of chenna, only softer and more delicious. The spongy paneer balls, flattened with hands, are immersed in a concoction of sweetened milk. The delicacy boasts yellow colour which comes from saffron that adds nutritional value to the dish. It is flavoured with cardamom for a refreshing taste and can be topped with dried fruits of your choice.
Shahi Tukda
If you have leftover chashni or sugar syrup at home, it would hardly take you a few minutes to serve shahi tukda on the platter. Bread slices are deep-fried in ghee and immersed in the sugar syrup. Each slice is then topped with thickened milk (malai or rabri), and it is flavoured with cardamoms, pistachios, and other dried fruits. Many sweet shops decorate shahi tukda with edible silver or gold leaf as well.
Basundi
From the state of Gujarat, you can add basundi to the Sehri spread. Start by simmering milk with sugar. You should continue stirring the liquid if you want to avoid the formation of malai as the top layer. When the milk thickens and the sugar has dissolved, you can flavour it with dried fruits, cardamoms, and saffron.
Rice Kheer
If you don't have ground rice, you can cook whole rice grains in milk and make rice kheer for Suhoor. Allow the milk to simmer on low flame and dissolve sugar. Add grains and Cook them until they soften and become fluffy. The creamy sweet dish can be made more nutritious with nuts and dried fruits. Its recipe is easy to follow, and the dish does not take much time to prepare.