Shahi Tukda literally translates to ‘Royal Slice’. This dessert originated in the Moghul era in India in the 1600s. I am sharing a gluten free and dairy free recipe of this Indian bread pudding that is fit for royalty!
I created this recipe for Holi as a dessert for myself as I was seeing a lot of dessert recipes on social media. Most Indian desserts have dairy and / gluten in them. This dessert has both! But thanks to new products in the market like gluten free breads and dairy free coconut whipped cream, this dessert could become a reality for me! This dessert turned out so amazing that I devoured it myself within 3 days! You can enjoy this guilt free as it is made with good quality ingredients. Instead of sugar syrup, I used raw honey to soak the bread slices and honey is so good for you!
How is Shahi Tukda made?
Shahi Tukda is a decadent Indian bread pudding in which bread slices are shallow fried in ghee and then soaked in sugar syrup that is flavored with saffron and cardamom. Then condensed milk or thickened sweet milk is added on top and the whole thing is further topped with nuts and more saffron.
In my version, I have used Gluten Free bread from Schar (You can use any variety of Gluten free bread) and instead of regular milk, I have used coconut milk and whipped coconut cream from So Delicious. I have also used pure raw honey and maple syrup as sweeteners.
Can you make AIP version of this dessert?
- You can try using Sweet potato Roll bread (sliced) as the bread in this recipe to make an AIP version.
- You will also need to replace the whipped coconut cream with unsweetened coconut cream from Native Forest.
- ¾ cup coconut milk (or any non dairy milk)
- ¾ tsp arrowroot starch
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp powdered cardamom
- 6-8 saffron strands
- 4 tbsps of ghee or grassfed unsalted butter
- 4 slices of Gluten Free bread (I like Schar brand's gluten free sourdough bread), cut diagonally into triangles
- About 2 tbsp raw honey
- About ½ cup Whipped Coconut Cream (So Delicious brand)
- 6-8 saffron threads soaked in 2 tbsp warm coconut milk or any non dairy milk
- mixed nuts crushed / sliced like pistachios, walnuts or almonds
- Add all the ingredients under 'custard' to a small saucepan and place on low heat. Stir using a whisk for about 3 to 4 mins until the mixture thickens. Turn heat off and keep this aside.
- Next heat a stainless steel saute pan on heat and add half of the butter. When melted, place half of the bread pieces and shallow fry them for about 1 min on each side until golden brown. Flip and fry on the other side again till crisp and golden. Remove from pan and transfer to a serving tray. Repeat the same process for the rest of the bread pieces.
- Now to assemble the dessert, drizzle the fried bread slices generously with honey. Next pour the prepared custard over them and finally top with the whipped coconut cream.
- Drizzle the extra saffron infused coconut milk on top and top with crushed nuts.
- Cover the serving tray with plastic wrap and plae this tray in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours before serving!
