Shahi Toast

Updated May 14, 2024

Shahi Toast
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
25 minutes, plus overnight chilling
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes, plus overnight chilling
Rating
4(65)
Comments
Read comments

White bread transforms into a luxurious dessert in this classic South Asian sweet. Think of shahi toast as the ultimate bread pudding — cold, creamy, dreamy, crunchy and fragrant with cardamom, which tastes citrusy, sweet and floral. Buttered, toasted squares of bread are soaked in a citrusy-sweet cardamom cream until soft (but not soggy!) and topped with crunchy pistachios. This was one of my mom’s favorite desserts as a kid growing up in India and this is her shortcut version, with my upgrades (hint: butter). It is amazing how luxurious this tastes considering how easy it is to make.

Featured in: I Didn’t Truly Know My Mother Until I Cooked With Her

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2cups heavy cream
  • 6tablespoons sugar
  • 1teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½teaspoon coarse kosher salt or fine salt
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5slices white bread, crusts removed, each slice cut into 4 squares
  • 2tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

650 calories; 52 grams fat; 31 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 431 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Coat the bottom of a medium pot or a small Dutch oven with 2 tablespoons water and then add the cream. The water will prevent the cream from sticking when it’s heated up. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the cream is warmed through, 4 to 6 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Turn off the heat and stir in the sugar, cardamom and salt until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat down to medium-low, add the bread, and cook until the bottom is golden brown, 3 to 6 minutes. Flip using tongs and cook until the other side is also golden brown, 2 to 6 minutes more.

  4. Step 4

    Arrange the pieces of bread in a single layer, like a patchwork quilt, in a 9-inch square baking dish. Give the cardamom cream a stir to fully incorporate the sugar and cardamom, then pour it over the bread, making sure each piece of bread is fully soaked with the cream mixture to achieve the ideal creamy-crunchy texture.

  5. Step 5

    Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Garnish with the pistachios and serve cold.

Ratings

4 out of 5
65 user ratings
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Comments

The richer, heavier brother/sister of Shahi Toast is Double ka Meetha (DKM). It's a superb dessert from Telangana region. In DKM, the triangular halves of bread are deep fried (with the crusts) and layered in a platter. Then simple syrup and cardamom, saffron seasoned boiled and reduced milk is poured over the bread pieces. The crunchy crusts smothered in sugar syrup and reduced milk taste divine.

This dish is also known as Shahi Tukda - literally Royal Bite!

For desserts it’s is usually Green Cardamom!

The richer, heavier brother/sister of Shahi Toast is Double ka Meetha (DKM). It's a superb dessert from Telangana region. In DKM, the triangular halves of bread are deep fried (with the crusts) and layered in a platter. Then simple syrup and cardamom, saffron seasoned boiled and reduced milk is poured over the bread pieces. The crunchy crusts smothered in sugar syrup and reduced milk taste divine.

surprisingly wonderful! like nothing I've ever had before. a guilty pleasure I might never share! I added a little rose water...

Agree with belowove the favor but my bread too thin. Thank you will definitely try again maybe even over cake?

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Credits

Adapted from "Priya’s Kitchen Adventures" by Priya Krishna (William Morrow, 2024)

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