Twice as Nice: My Shahi Tukra Story

Syed Affan shares his grandfather’s signature recipe for shahi tukra, or as he called it, double ka meetha

My nana loved cooking. He had a knack for it; he travelled for food, he would learn new recipes, meticulously makes notes, and then add his personal touch to the them, as though he wanted to avoid plagiarism.

My memories of him are inseparable from food. His routine involved work (as an industrialist) and also, buying fresh vegetables, meat for the hosue, and cooking. I remember asking my mother if he had ever gone to culinary school, and she told me that he made friends with bawarchis at every dhabas and restaurant he visited. Once, at a butcher’s, he complained about stale meat, saying, “The animal had no soul,” inviting long discussions on butchery. His cooking was met with anticipation, and the inevitable praise that lit up his face.

As I flipped through his diary, I stumbled upon a Double Ka Meetha recipe written in Gujarati. A peculiar detail caught my eye: beneath a margin, he had written, “Aye, do you hear, no more fuss about going to Hyderabad for Double Ka Meetha when HR Sweets is here to serve you.” HR Sweets, named for his initials, was never a commercial venture, even though he must have dreamed about it, even ordering plastic boxes with an HR Sweets sticker. He would fill it Double Ka Meetha for his loved ones, especially for his daughters when they were visiting.

In North India, we refer to bread as pav. In the dialects of South India, bread is called ‘double roti’ because it swells up to almost double its original size after baking. Double ka Meetha is a sweet dish made with bread and a mix of dry fruits.

RECIPE FOR HK’S DOUBLE KA MEETHA

Ingredients
1½ l milk
500 g sugar
2 pinches yellow food colour
30 g cashews, raisins, and almonds each
Refined Oil (for frying bread)
50 g ghee
½ tsp cardamom powder
50 g condensed milk
700 g bread
50 g khoya
2 drops kewra essence

Method
Begin by gently simmering the milk over low heat until the cream starts to stick to the edges of the pan. Add the food colour, cardamom powder, and sugar to the milk, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the milk reduces slightly in quantity.
While the milk simmers, prepare the bread slices by cutting them evenly. Don’t remove the crust as they add a delightful crunch. Spread the slices out on a plate to dry in sunlight until they become crisp.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread slices until they turn golden brown, ensuring they are evenly cooked and do not become too dark or are undercooked. Transfer the fried slices to a tissue-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
In another pan, lightly roast the cashews, almonds, and chironji over low heat for about half a minute.
Once excess oil has been absorbed from the fried bread slices, gently place them into the simmering milk without stirring. Add the condensed milk to the mixture, being careful not to overly disintegrate the bread.
Drizzle ghee over the top and allow it to cook over medium heat, ensuring it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Cover the pan, but leave a small gap to allow steam to escape. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, allowing the flavours to come together as the bread absorbs the creamy milk.
Garnish the dish with khoya, cashews, and raisins, then sprinkle with a few drops of kewra essence for added aroma.
Once done, serve warm.

Syed Affan is a writer pursuing a Bachelor's in Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Delhi. His writing focuses on exploring the intricacies of everyday life and the interconnectedness of various elements.

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