In her new cookbook Desi Bakes, author and cook Hetal Vasavada pulls inspiration from growing up in a Gujarati family in the United States. Her background informs a series of sweets that infuse Western classics with Indian flavours, as well as beautiful biscuits, cakes and pastries with decorations inspired by traditional Indian textiles, crafts and arts.
The result is a colourful array of playful recipes with easy instructions and helpful explainers of their origins. Rose chai mille-feuilles are decorated with bright zig-zag icing inspired by lacquered wood made in the Kutch region of Gujarat; a lemon, cardamom and pistachio torte employs the flavours of pista burfi, a cardamom-spiced pistachio fudge; and rose water-flavoured cookies are coloured and shaped like the garlands of flowers sold near temples in India. Similarly, this recipe takes two existing desserts – the Mughal shahi tukda and the bread pudding eaten in many Western countries – and makes them one.
“Shahi tukda is a Mughal dessert made with bread toasted in ghee and then served with rabdi, sweetened milk fat spiced with cardamom and saffron,” writes Vasavada. “With a name like shahi tukda (“royal pieces”), you know it’s a rich dessert. I took all the flavors of shahi tukda and put it into a bread pudding. I use a similar technique of shingling the bread for the bread pudding and bake it with a ricotta custard and serve it with a fat dollop of rose whipped cream. This is a great brunch dish and can be prepared the night before and baked in the morning before serving.”
This recipe includes instructions for making rose water at home; shop bought is also fine.
Hetal Vasavada’s shahi tukda bread pudding
Makes 1 23cm round pan
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
12–13 thick slices brioche bread
320ml whole milk
113g ricotta cheese
100g granulated sugar
2 tbsp whole milk powder
12–15 saffron threads
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt
Rose water
(This makes 48g of rose water; this recipe requires ¼ tsp)
600ml distilled water
16g edible dried rose petals or 22g fresh rose petals
Ice
For decorating
227g thickened cream
60g icing sugar
2 tbsp sliced almonds
2 tbsp chopped pistachios
Method
To make the rose water, lace a metal ring or foil ring in the centre of a large, lidded pot (the pot lid should be domed, the deeper the dome, the better. This helps hold ice and makes the set-up much more manageable). Pour the water and rose petals on the outside of the ring. Place a bowl on top of the ring and place the pot lid on top upside down so that the lid handle is on the inside. Place ice cubes on top of the lid and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Scoop off the water from the melted ice in the lid and replace the ice as needed. Turn off the heat and let the pot cool before removing the bowl with the rose water from the pot. Pour the distilled rose water from the bowl into a jar and store in the fridge for up to 8 months.
For the bread pudding, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Layer the bread into a 23cm round cake pan to cover the bottom.
In a bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta, sugar, milk powder, saffron, eggs, cardamom and salt until smooth. Pour the mixture over the brioche.
Bake until the bread pudding is set, 15 to 18 minutes.
While the bread pudding is baking, in a bowl, whisk the heavy cream rose water, and icing sugar until you reach soft peaks. Do not overmix this, otherwise you will end up with butter.
Once the bread pudding is done, sprinkle with the almonds and pistachios and serve while warm with a dollop of the rose whipped cream.
This is an edited extract from Desi Bakes: 85 Recipes Bringing the Best of Indian Flavors to Western-Style Desserts by Hetal Vasavada, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally from October 1, 2024. Photography by Hetal Vasavada.
