Saffron Milk Recipe (Indian Kesar Doodh)
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 88kcal
Saffron Milk (Indian Kesar Doodh) is a traditional Indian beverage where milk is flavored with saffron. Lots of dried nuts and fruits are added to give it a crunch and make it healthier.
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Ingredients
- 1 litre whole milk (full-fat milk)
- 25-30 strands saffron
- 10-12 almonds slivered
- 10-12 cashew nuts slivered
- 10-12 pistachios slivered
- 1 teaspoon white poppy seeds skip if they are not available
- 1 teaspoon chironji
- 2-3 seedless dates chopped
- 4 teaspoons sugar or to taste
Instructions
- Soak saffron strands in 2-3 tablespoons of milk for 2 hours. Refrigerate the bowl while the saffron is soaking.
- Heat milk in a pan over medium heat.
- Once the milk comes to a boil, add the saffron soaked in milk, almonds, cashew nuts, pistachios, poppy seeds, chironji, and dates and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the milk for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add sugar and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Check for sugar and add more if needed.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Serve the milk hot or chill it for 3-4 hours before serving. Garnish with slivered nuts and dried rose petals.
Notes
You can easily double or triple the recipe if making it for a crowd.
To make vegan saffron milk, replace the dairy milk with any plant-based milk like almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc.
You can replace sugar with honey or any other sweetener of your choice. You can also use sugar-free substitutes like stevia or monk fruit.
You can make a richer version of this milk by adding khoya (reduced milk solids) to it.
Adding a little bit of ginger powder, black pepper powder, and clove powder also makes this milk more nutritious and is good to drink in winters as it keeps the body even warmer.
This recipe is very adaptable and you can adapt it to your liking and preferences. Add the nuts and fruits that you like and skip the ones that you don’t. Choose the sweetener and its quantity as per your liking.
Nutrition
Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 44IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg