Double ka meetha is a royal Hyderabadi dessert that is said to descend from the Mughal shahi tukda. The name comes from double roti, the old Hyderabadi term for bread, which doubles in size as the dough rises. It is served at weddings, during Ramzan and at Eid, often next to qubani ka meetha.
Slices of bread are fried golden in ghee, soaked in a cardamom-saffron sugar syrup and then cooked with reduced milk until they soak it all up. The result is soft and moist, almost like a set pudding, but still with some texture from the crisp fried bread. It is very rich, sweet and fragrant.
At a glance
| Region | Telangana |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Hyderabadi |
| Diet | Vegetarian |
| Course | Dessert |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 40 minutes |
| Total time | 50 minutes |
| Serves | 6 |
| Spice level | Mild |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Gluten-free | No |
| Key ingredients | bread / ghee / milk / sugar / saffron |
Ingredients
- 8 slices white bread, a day old, crusts removed, cut into triangles
- 1/2 cup ghee for frying
- 1 litre full-fat milk
- 1/2 cup sugar for the syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar for the milk
- a pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp khoya (optional)
- 12 almonds, sliced
- 10 pistachios, sliced
- 10 cashews, halved
Method
- Simmer the milk in a heavy pan on medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring often, until it reduces to about half. Add 2 tbsp sugar, the saffron milk, cardamom and khoya if using.
- Meanwhile, make a syrup by boiling 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water for 5 minutes until slightly sticky but not stringy. Add a pinch of cardamom.
- Heat ghee in a frying pan on medium-low heat and fry the bread triangles in batches for 1-2 minutes per side until crisp and evenly golden. Drain.
- Fry the almonds, pistachios and cashews in the remaining ghee until lightly golden and keep aside.
- Dip each fried bread slice quickly into the warm sugar syrup and arrange them in a single layer in a wide pan.
- Pour the reduced milk over the bread. Cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes until the bread absorbs most of the milk and turns soft but still holds its shape.
- Garnish with the fried nuts. Serve warm or chilled.
Tips
- Day-old bread fries crisper and absorbs less ghee.
- Fry slowly on medium-low heat; quick-fried bread is golden outside but soggy inside.
- For a shortcut, use a can of condensed milk mixed with 1 cup milk instead of reducing.
Serve with
Served after biryani at weddings and Eid dinners.