Here's the short and sweet way to make delicious Instant Rabdi! I’m showing you how to cut the time to make rabdi in half with some paneer and condensed milk. It’s thick, creamy and has all the same flavours but so much faster and easier!
One sweet that always makes it to our table come festive season is this instant rabdi! I have grown up eating homemade rabdi by the bucket and it has gone on to become one of my favorite Indian desserts! It's rich and creamy with layers and layers of malai - a true labour of love.
But here’s the deal - Homemade rabri usually requires a lot of attention and hours of cooking time. But not this recipe! This is definitely a shortcut to making rabdi BUT I promise it tastes so similar, most people will never be able to tell the difference! Good deal, right?
Quick Walk Through: Instant Rabdi
So What's The Secret?
The secret to making Instant Rabdi is two ingredients - paneer and condensed milk. They act as thickeners and add creaminess. The crumbled paneer sort of melts while cooking and forms the layers that we all love so much in rabdi.
Flavouring the Rabdi
The milk has ingredients like ghee, cardamom, and saffron to flavour it and make it tasty. We do cook the milk with these ingredients for about 15 minutes to thicken it slightly and get the first few layers of malai going but you don’t need the traditional 2-3 hours of simmering and babysitting here. The final touch which makes rabdi so tempting is the rose water. And with rose water, a little goes a long way!!
How to make Instant Rabdi
- The milk should be boiled with the cardamom, ghee, and saffron for about 15 minutes till it reduces a little and you see layers of malai forming on top. Be gentle with these layers - just keep collecting them and pushing them back into the simmering milk till it thickens.
- Add the condensed milk and grated paneer, and cook the mixture for another 8-12 minutes. The paneer should dissolve slightly and get incorporated into the mixture.
- You can add additional sugar if you like but I've seen that with condensed milk, there's no need. I like my rabdi only mildly sweet because it's usually served with other sweet dishes like gulab jamun or jalebi. But feel free, to adjust the sweetness to your taste.
- Finally, serve chilled rabdi topped with sliced pistas and almonds!
Richa Recommends: To absolutely nail this rabdi recipe, make sure you use really fresh and good quality paneer, because it's such an important ingredient. If you have a few extra minutes, quickly make a batch of fresh paneer at home with my trusty recipe - Homemade Paneer In 15 Minutes
Top Tips To Get This Instant Rabdi Right Every Time
- The rabdi thickens as it cools down, so make sure to not reduce the milk too much or the texture won't be right.
- You can make this instant rabdi ahead, and store it in the fridge. When you're ready to it, simply reheat it by adding a little milk. Since the rabdi will be quite thick, milk will help adjust the consistency.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan when making this, and don't forget to stir the milk the often. This will prevent the milk from burning and/or sticking at the bottom.
FAQs
It really does not. Paneer is responsible for giving that instant rabdi that authentic crumbly texture. When we grate and cook it, the paneer melts into the milk and takes on the flavors of the spices. So you can't taste the paneer at all, while still being able to enjoy the same texture that comes from hours of cooking and reducing milk.
Freshly made rabdi stays good for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it and use as and when you please. Frozen rabdi lasts for up to a month without preservatives. When you're ready eat, thaw it in the fridge overnight, reheat and serve. Do not refreeze again.
Some more ways you can eat this rabdi
Rabdi is an excellent versatile Indian sweet, which not only tastes delicious on it's own but can also be used as a topping with other sweets. I love drizzling this instant rabdi over kulfi, gulab jamuns, malpulas and jalebis. You can serve it with a glass of chilled thandai.
See! You don't have to toil away for hours in the kitchen fussing over getting rabdi right! Serve homemade rabdi with jalebi, malpua, or gulab jamuns! You could also surprise your family with glasses of chilled Thandai!
Instant Rabdi
Ingredients
- 1 Teaspoon Ghee
- 1 Pod Cardamom
- 500 Millilitres Milk
- 5 -6 Strands Saffron
- 1 ½ Cup Homemade Paneer grated as fine as possible
- ½ Cup Condensed milk
- 2 - 4 Tablespoons Sugar optional
- ⅛ Teaspoon Rose essence optional
Instructions
- Add ghee to a stock pot over medium flame. Add crushed cardamom pod once the ghee is slightly heated. Turn the heat to a low and lightly fry the cardamom for 30 seconds.
- Add milk and bring it to a simmer. Crush saffron and add to a bowl. Remove two tablespoons of hot milk from the pot and add it to the saffron. Set aside and allow the saffron to release fragrance and colour.
- Add the saffron milk mix to the milk pot. Continue to cook the milk for about 15 - 20 minutes on low or until the milk has almost reduced by half. Gently stir to incorporate the cream (malai) that forms on the top back into the milk. Repeat this as and when the cream forms. Remember to stir and scrape the bottom frequently so the milk doesn't scorch the bottom
- Once the milk has reduced by almost half, add grated paneer and condensed milk. Stir to combine and use a spatula to press the paneer against the walls of the pot to help it break down and melt.
- Cook this mix on a low heat until the desired thickness has reached. It will take about 8 - 12 minutes for the paneer to slightly dissolve and the milk mix to thicken.
- At this stage, taste and adjust sweetness. I did not add any sugar as I do not like my Rabdi too sweet, you can add or omit according to your taste.
- Turn off the flame, add rose essence, cover and let cool down to room temperature.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 2 - 3 hours or until cold. Serve chilled over some piping hot Jalebis, Malpua or even Gajjar ka Halwa!
Notes
- The secret to making Instant Rabdi is two ingredients - paneer and condensed milk. They act as thickeners and add creaminess. The crumbled paneer sort of melts while cooking and forms the layers that we all love so much in rabdi.
- The milk should be boiled with the cardamom, ghee, and saffron for about 15 minutes till it reduces a little and you see layers of malai forming on top. Be gentle with these layers - just keep collecting them and pushing them back into the simmering milk till it thickens.
- You can add additional sugar if you like but I've seen that with sweetened condensed milk, there's no need. I like my rabdi only mildly sweet because it's usually served with other sweet dishes like gulab jamun or jalebi. But feel free, to adjust the sweetness to your taste
- To absolutely nail this rabdi recipe, make sure you use really fresh and good quality paneer, because it's such an important ingredient. If you have a few extra minutes, quickly make a batch of fresh paneer at home with my trusty recipe - Homemade Paneer In 15 Minutes
- Freshly made rabdi stays good for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it and use as and when you please! Frozen rabdi lasts for up to a month without preservatives.
theflowerspoint says
Very nice recipe
jaspreet says
This is really nice recipe I will try this at home to give surprise to my dear ones.
Mita says
I tried your jeera rice today. It was a superhit at dinner! Next plan is Rabdi and kesar penda