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Apple Rabdi

By Jigna
Apple Rabdi is sweet, creamy, thickened milk, full of grated apples, and flavored with saffron, cardamom, and chopped nuts. It is a creamy, decadent, luscious, and delicious Indian dessert!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Cuisine Indian
Course Dessert
Diet Vegetarian
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ liters (6 cups) whole milk or full-fat milk
  • 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream or half-and-half cream (optional / see notes)
  • A few saffron strands
  • 6-8 tablespoon cane or white sugar (add to taste)
  • 500 g apples (about 3 medium apples)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios or almonds (plus more for garnishing)

Instructions
 

  • Take the milk and cream (if using) into a wide and thick-bottomed pan or pot. Add saffron strands.
  • On medium heat, bring milk to a boil. Keep stirring the milk regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
  • Once the milk starts boiling, let it simmer on low-medium heat until it reduces to almost half.
  • Make sure to keep stirring at regular intervals, and don’t let the cream (Malai) layer form on top of the milk. Also, keep scraping the sides of the pan, and stir any milk solids back into the milk.
  • Peel and grate the apples when the milk is reduced to almost half the original quantity.
  • Add grated apples and sugar to the reduced milk. While grating the apples, if some juice is released, do not add it to the milk.
  • Mix gently, taste, and adjust the sugar if you need to. Continue cooking, bring the milk to a boil again, and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the cardamom powder and pistachios and mix well.
  • Turn off the heat, remove the pan and transfer the Rabdi into a serving bowl.
  • If you like hot or warm Apple Rabdi, you can serve it now. Or let it cool down to room temperature and then place it in the fridge and let it chill for at least 2-3 hours.
  • Garnish the chilled Apple Rabdi with more chopped pistachios and serve.

Serving and Storing Suggestions

  • Having warm or chilled Apple Rabdi is absolutely a personal preference! However, we love chilled Rabdi, and if you do as well, let it chill for at least 2-4 hours before serving.
  • You can serve Apple Rabdi on its own after a meal or in a feast Thali.
  • You can also consume this Rabdi during the fasting days like Navratri.
  • Apple Rabdi keeps well in the refrigerator for two days. However, do not store it for longer as it contains apples. Once it is cooled completely, store it in an airtight container and place it in the fridge.

Notes

  1. Milk: Use only full-fat or whole milk to make creamy and rich Apple Rabdi.
  2. Cream: If you use milk with 5-6% fat, skip adding cream. Here in Canada, whole milk comes with 3.25% fat, so I like to add either half and half cream or heavy cream to make the Rabdi thick, creamier, and luscious.
  3. Apples: I have used firm but sweet Gala apples. So other than that, you can use different varieties such as Honeycrisp or Red Delicious apples. Also, grate the apples right before adding them to the reduced milk.
  4. Sugar: Add sugar as per your sweet preference. Initially, add 6 tablespoon of sugar, taste, and add more if necessary.
  5. Cooking: Use a heavy-bottomed and wide pan or pot for cooking milk. That way, there will be less chance of sticking milk to the bottom. Once the milk comes to a boil, gently simmer the milk on low-medium heat for the best Rabdi texture. While cooking the milk, keep stirring regularly, and don’t let the cream layer form on top of the milk. Also, scrape the cream stick to the sides of the pan and mix it back into the milk.
  6. Spices: I highly recommend adding ground cardamom. However, if you want, you can skip adding saffron. You can add a pinch of nutmeg powder other than cardamom if you like.
  7. Nuts: I have chopped pistachios, but you can add nuts of your choice. 
  8. Scaling: This recipe can easily be halved or doubled as per the requirements.

Nutrition (Approximate Values)

Calories : 379kcalCarbohydrates : 39gProtein : 11gFat : 26gSaturated Fat : 15gPolyunsaturated Fat : 2gMonounsaturated Fat : 7gCholesterol : 78mgSodium : 110mgPotassium : 572mgFiber : 3gSugar : 35gVitamin A : 1092IUVitamin C : 4mgCalcium : 356mgIron : 0.4mg
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