Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye !!!

This is my first attempt to blog about something that's been experimented in kitchen! Seeing a lot of blogs online which are an excellent display of the culinary skills of these fellow bloggers, I too was tempted to start my own blog. I have been cooking for quite sometime now, and hence I can at least dare to display my experiments in the Kitchen to the world.
There is a huge foodie blog roll which was my window to this amazing world of cooking! I will add these links with permission from them soon.
I have always been a big fan of this sweet which was made at my home primarily on the occasion of Dusshera. But now here I am in states, where there is festival every time you get together with friends and have pot luck / parties. So this weekend, when I had a few friends of my parents over here to visit us, I thought of making this sweet which is very easy (primary reason to make it), with a recipe that can't fail! And I was sure everyone would be happy to have this sweet as it's quite a rage back home.
I love both the thick and slightly less thick form of this fabulous sweet which is more popular in Maharashtra. Basundi as it is called in Marathi, the thicker version is called as Rabdi/Rabri and is more popular in the Northern states of India.
My mom makes it the hard way, and her recipe includes boiling milk on low heat for a long time , while continously stirring the milk. Milk is usually reduced by half or 1/3rd of the original quantity and then sugar as per liking is added. It is then garnished with crushed almonds, pistachios and cashews and charolya (I am still searching for the English name of this garnish). The main sweetness is derived from the boiling of milk and the cream that is formed as a result of this boiling is just divine!
But here in states we dont get the milk which can yeild same result and also I am a lazy bird who would want to have the same taste and but is not willing to invest so much time and energy for the same. So I found quite a few alternatives to this slow process.

Here goes my recipe:

Ingredients:

• Condensed Milk : 1 can (14 OZ)
• Evaporated Milk : 1 Can (14 OZ/16 OZ)
• Half and Half Milk :1 Can (14 OZ)
• Heavy Cream: 1 Pint. (~ 1/2 liter)(If you are counting calories and are willing to forego the taste, use the Light cream)
• Almonds and Pistachio's for Garnishing ( Ground/ cut depending on your choice)
• Saffron - 2-3 strands.

Procedure:

• Mix all the different milks in a thick bottomed pan, preferably use a non stick one so that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom and keep it on low heat for 20 - 25 minutes.
• Keep on stirring so that milk doesn't stick to the bottom and also so that these ingredients get mixed.
• After it starts to boil, reduce the heat and keep on stirring.
• When cream starts forming, add the Saffron Strands. Keep it on simmering heat for another 5 minutes and add the garnish (almonds /pistachio's, cashews depending on your taste).
• Now take it off the stove and let it stand for another hour or so, till it is at room temperature. Then keep it in the refridegerator to cool before serving.
• Don't chill it too much, just about cold to eat. It can be eaten hot/cold and tastes equally good.

This is a not very sweet version, as mostly all the sweet comes from the condensed milk and the natural sweetness of milk (enhanced due to boiling). So if you like yours sweet, add some amount of Sugar in it while boiling.

Please let me know if you enjoyed my version :)