Taste the Clouds with this Unique Dessert!
A special dessert from Lucknow, my beloved hometown
Lucknow is famous for its Nawabi culture, royal cuisines, and pahle aap (you first) culture (or tahzeeb) along with its unique architecture, heritage, and chikan embroidery work. There are various cuisines for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, but a special dessert that is available only in winters is Malai Makhan, loosely translated as cream butter. It is prepared in winter only and a specialty of this city. Its airy, sweet, fluffy, and cloud-like consistency dissolves in the mouth in no time, giving a flavor of cardamom and a soft touch to the tongue. The winter specialty is more than just a dish. It is the culture of my city and whenever I taste it, I feel nostalgic about my childhood. Years have passed but the dish tastes the same.
How is Makhan Malai prepared?
The soft, fluffy Makhan malai is made by an elaborate process that requires tenderness, patience, and the use of ancient techniques of churning milk and separating butter from cream. This winter delight hides in itself a mysterious bond of man and nature. As it is prepared pre-dawn and kept under dew, Makhan malai needs patience, the secret of its uniqueness.
One day, I asked a vendor the recipe for the dish. He told me that its preparation starts one day before. At about 3 pm they receive milk and then boil it in a huge saucepan on a slow flame. Fresh cream is added to the milk as it boils. Once the mixture is cooled down completely it is filled in buckets and hung outside for 6–8 hours. The dew –exposed milk is churned for 2–3 hours by hand using the decades-old method of separating butter from milk. Then sugar, cardamom powder, and yellow food color are added.
The key to the dish lies in exposing the milk to the dew. No one knows what exactly happens during the exposure.
“A couple of years ago, I came back to re- examine the process for making the makhan. I expected that by now Makhanwalas would have started using electric churners. But I was pleasantly surprised to see the original technique is still being followed.” — Chef Ranveer Brar
If you are in Lucknow for the winters or even a local, do try the Makhan malai in the winters. I remember one of my colleagues told me she never tasted it as her father was against buying food from street vendors. It’s available across the city. But the once served in the old city are considered to be more authentic. Do try it and share your experience!
