Jali Dar Ghevar with Rabdi

• 4 tablespoons ghee
• ice, one bowl, crushed
• 200 g maida
• 1 cup milk, cold
• 1 teaspoon wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon besan
• cold water, as needed from fridge
• 1 lemon, half
• oil, for deep frying, enough to fill vessel halfway
• 1 l milk
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 15 saffron strands
• 3 slices bread, crusts removed, torn and coarsely crumbled
• 3 cardamom, crushed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 cardamom, crushed
• saffron strands, few strands
• orange food color, few drops
• almonds, for garnish
• pistachios, for garnish
• rose petals, for garnish

Preparation

1. Step 1

   0:39
   Place 4 tablespoons ghee in a bowl and beat vigorously by hand (or mixer) with crushed ice until it becomes pale, creamy and soft.
2. Step 2

   1:56
   Gradually add the 200 g maida, 1 cup cold milk, 1 tsp wheat flour, 1 tsp besan, cold water, and juice of half a lemon. Mix and beat thoroughly until smooth and lump-free like a thin kadhi batter. Strain if necessary.
3. Step 3

   5:08
   Keep the prepared batter bowl inside a larger bowl filled with cold water and ice to keep it chilled.
4. Step 4

   5:15
   Heat oil (or ghee) in a wide, deep vessel until very hot. The oil level should be about 1–1.5 inches deep. Keep the batter chilled and the oil very hot throughout frying.
5. Step 5

   5:55
   Pour the chilled batter very slowly in a thin stream into the exact center of the hot oil. Add in several small drops per spoonful, moving the spoon slightly to create a lattice while keeping the stream centered. Use a skewer or spoon handle to gently create space in the center and push the ghevar down so it fries evenly on all sides. Fry until golden and crisp, adjusting flame slightly lower if edges brown too fast. Carefully lift out and drain.
6. Step 6

   9:11
   Repeat to fry all the batter. 200 g maida yields 5 thick ghevar or 8–9 thinner ones. Keep the oil hot and batter cold between batches; add more ice if batter warms.
7. Step 7

   12:02
   For the rabdi, pour 1 liter milk into a kadai. Simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently, for 6–8 minutes until reduced and thickened.
8. Step 8

   12:39
   Add 5 tablespoons sugar, 15–20 saffron strands, a few drops of orange food color (optional), 3 coarsely crumbled slices of bread (crusts removed), and 3 crushed cardamom pods. Stir continuously until very thick. Turn off heat while still slightly loose as it will thicken further on cooling.
9. Step 9

   14:50
   For the sugar syrup, combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 2 crushed cardamom pods, a few saffron strands, and a few drops of orange food color. Boil while stirring until it reaches one-thread consistency.
10. Step 10

    15:46
    Place a warm ghevar on a plate. Drizzle with the warm sugar syrup, then spoon on a generous layer of cooled rabdi. Garnish with chopped almonds, pistachios, and rose petals.