Double ka meetha is Hyderabad's bread pudding: ghee-fried bread is layered in a pan, soaked with saffron-cardamom syrup and reduced milk, and cooked gently until the liquid is absorbed. It turns soft and fudgy and is finished with fried cashews, almonds, raisins and crumbled khoa. Makes 6 servings in about 1 hr 5 min.
Prep15 min
Cook40 min
Cooling10 min
Total
1 hr 5 min
Servings
6
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Scales from a half to a double batch; give a bigger batch a little more time.
6 ½ oz (180 g)white sandwich bread, 6 slices, crusts removed
Cut each slice of white sandwich bread into 4 squares. Bring the whole milk to a boil in a saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until reduced to about 300 ml, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the ghee in the 10-inch (25 cm) heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Fry the bread in batches until crisp and golden, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, and drain on a rack. In the ghee left in the pan, fry the cashews and blanched almonds until light golden, about 1 minute, add the raisins until they puff, 15 seconds, and lift everything out. Pour off all but a thin film of ghee.
Make the syrup: boil the sugar, water and saffron threads in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is slightly sticky but short of one-string stage, about 215°F (102°C), 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the ground cardamom and rose water.
Arrange the fried bread in a single snug layer in the skillet. Pour the warm syrup evenly over it, then pour the reduced milk over the top.
Cook over medium heat until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer gently without stirring until the bread has soaked up almost all the liquid and only a little thick syrup remains in the pan, 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover and rest for 10 minutes. Scatter with the fried cashews, almonds and raisins and the crumbled unsweetened khoa (mawa) and serve warm.
Tips
Day-old bread holds its shape better when it soaks.
Keep the heat low once the milk goes in so the bottom does not scorch.
Check the bread label if you avoid egg or soy; many sandwich breads contain them.
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How long does it take to make double ka meetha (hyderabadi bread pudding)?
Plan on 15 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, plus 10 minutes to rest. The recipe makes 6 servings.
How should I store double ka meetha (hyderabadi bread pudding)?
Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days; warm gently before serving or serve chilled.
Can I make double ka meetha (hyderabadi bread pudding) ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
A Hyderabadi dessert served at weddings and Eid, in which ghee-fried bread is simmered in saffron syrup and milk until it soaks up the liquid.
Variations
Date and walnut: replace the raisins and cashews with 30 g (3 tbsp) chopped pitted dates and 20 g (3 tbsp) walnuts, fried the same way. Time unchanged.
Orange and cardamom: add 1 tsp (2 g) finely grated orange zest to the syrup and leave out the rose water. Time unchanged.
Quicker milk: use 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) evaporated milk instead of reducing the whole milk; this saves about 15 minutes.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 6 servings this recipe makes.
332Calories / serving
15.1gFat
43.3gCarbs
7.4gProtein
28.8gSugar
Whole recipe (6 servings):
~1992 cal ·
91g fat ·
260g carbs ·
44g protein ·
173g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
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