Metamorphosis of the classic Shahi Tukda

Think Shahi Tukda and the image that crops up in your mind is that of triangular slices of crisp golden brown bread topped with a dollop of rabdi, garnished with pistachios and almonds. That’s the classic Shahi Tukda, whose origins can be traced back to the Mughal period.

Our very own eggless bread pudding
Chef Gautam Mehrishi, the host of Chef On Wheels show, Living Foodz, says, “Shahi Tukda (also spelt as Shahi Tukra is a piece of crisp fried golden brown coloured pieces of bread topped with a sweet milk sauce called rabdi with nuts of choice and saffron. A traditional Pakistani dessert, it finds its place on menus for parties and special occasions. It’s a dish of Mughal origin and is believed to have been invented in Pakistan though it is very popular in India as well. Etymologically the word Shahi Tukda can be broken down into two words Shahi meaning royal and tukda meaning piece. The recipe is also believed to have been invented out of a way to use up leftover bread in the 19th-century Mughal cuisines.” And while the classic remains a fave, there are many who are attempting to give this dish a contemporary makeover. 

A sassy twist
We have come across different interpretations of this popular dessert. Rachel Goenka, the chef owner of The Sassy Spoon, attempted a deconstructed version for Diwali last year. She says, “ I broke down each element and then added texture with the crunchy croutons which are the bread part of the dish. Instead of just doing a sauce, I made a rabdi pannacotta and to give a contrast to the ghee fried croutons I added the pista kulfi. Traditionally, it’s a heavy dessert, but nowadays people are all about keeping things light, It’s all about the balance of flavours and textures. Every dish needs to have some drama about it to make it interesting!”

A shahi tukda sandwich
Chef Pradip Rozario of Bombay Vintage, says, “We have tried to use the classic Shahi Tukda recipe as a template to create our Mascarpone Sandwich, topped with rabdi. The idea was to cut through the overt sweetness of the dish, and to give you its flavour minus the sugar overdose.”

A sour-sweet shahi tukda
Chef Aniruddha Patil, Corporate Chef-OnShore, CBCS, adds, “Our version at The Captain’s Table captures the essence of the original while still being a newer dessert. New elements like toffee sauce provides sweetness, while the tartiness of the oranges and the berries cut the sweetness, providing freshness while cleansing the palate with newer flavours.”

Deconstructed shahi tukda served in shot glasses
Dharmesh Karmokar, partner and FB director —Lume, Hotel Aureole, says, “People want to try the same sinful dessert but in a small, limited portion, therefore we came up with the idea to give the same royal taste, only in a  tiny portion. We added a twist in the other two shot glasses of a spicy rich ganache chocolate and paan leaf flavoured rabdi.” The ‘royal piece’ has come a long way from being a means to create a dish of leftover bread to being deconstructed to create something new, yet hitting the brief when it comes to flavours.

Seasonal Strawberry Shahi Tukda

Ingredients
16 -17 strawberries
8 White bread slices cut into roundels
Oil, to deep fry
1 cup sugar
A pinch of saffron
1 tsp rose essence
Rabdi as required
Few pistachios for garnishing

Method
Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry bread roundlets till crisp. Drain on absorbent paper. Cook together sugar and 1 ½ cup cups of water in a non-stick pan. Add saffron and allow the mix to come to a boil. Chop 11-12 strawberries and grind into a puree. Add this to the sugar syrup and simmer for two to three minutes. Switch off the heat. Add rose essence and mix well. Add the bread slices to the pan and allow to soak till they become soft. Finely slice the remaining strawberries. For each portion place a soaked bread slice on a serving plate. Arrange strawberry slices on it and place another bread slice on them. Arrange some more strawberry slices. Top it with some rabdi. Garnish with pistachios.

Courtesy: Chef Gautam Mehrishi