Dear ones,
This is my first post on kitchenarchives.com, my new website. Today, I give you 10 new recipes, but I start with my very first recipe from my blog mouthwateringfoodrecipes.blogspot.com, dudepak, suitably improved and with new pictures! I am sure you will love it.

Dudepak – The most delicious Konkani milk and rice dessert.
Whenever a Konkani person thinks about having a sweet dessert, the first dish that comes to mind is indeed dudepak. Served at the end of every banana leaf feast invariably at weddings and sacred thread investiture ceremonies, dudepak is the dish everybody waits anxiously for, to scoop up with their fingers and slurp to their hearts content. The combined fragrance of the saffron, the cardamom, the hot milk, the rice, the sweetness of the sugar and the aroma of the scalding banana leaf is truly divine and indeed mouthwatering. Here is a perfect recipe for you. Do cook and enjoy.

Saffron

Prep Time | 15 minutes |
Cook Time | 45 minutes |
Servings |
servings
|
- 175 gm short grained, scented fine raw rice
- 2 litres fresh milk
- 175 gm sugar
- 1 pinch saffron
- 6 pods cardamom
- 50 ml ghee (clarified butter)
- 25 gm cashew nuts
- 25 gm kismis (sultanas or seedless raisins)
Ingredients
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- Wash and drain the rice.
- Shell the cardamom. Crush the seeds to powder and set aside.
- Break the cashew nuts roughly to pieces and set aside.
- Put the saffron into a small bowl and set aside.
- Pour the milk into a thick bronze vessel or copper bottomed stainless steel vessel or any other thick bottomed vessel and set on high heat.
- As soon as it boils, pour a ladleful of hot milk over the saffron and set the bowl aside to soak.
- Now tip the rice into the boiling milk and stir continuously, taking care to avoid sticking or burning at the base.
- As soon as the mixture starts boiling again, lower the heat. Stir frequently so as to prevent formation of cream crust at the top as well as burning at the base. Each brand of rice takes a different amount of time to cook.
- As the mixture thickens, lift out a few grains with the ladle and squeeze between your thumb and forefinger to check if cooked. Ideally, the rice should be soft and blooming, slightly overcooked.
- Now tip in the sugar and keep stirring. Add the saffron milk (including the saffron strands).
- As soon as the sugar has dissolved, tip in the crushed cardamom. Switch off the heat and cover with a lid to trap the flavors.
- Pour the ghee / clarified butter into a skillet and set on low heat. Tip in the cashew nuts. Stir till the cashews turn golden brown in color. Switch off the heat and quickly chuck in the kismis (raisins). Stir well and empty the contents of the skillet over the dudepak.
- Your delicious dudepak is ready to serve. Serve hot or chilled. It is delicious when hot, but even more so when chilled. If you are serving cold, garnish with candied cherries or with strawberries. You'll love it!
A tip for diabetics:
Diabetic patients can cook dudepak avoiding the sugar entirely. Unsweetened dudepak has its own goodness and taste. Do enjoy!
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