If there’s one thing all Indians can agree on, it’s our unwavering love for mithai. The incredible variety that Indian desserts have to offer is so appetizing that one can find something special for everyone. The rich diversity in mithai comes from the culture of our country! Every state border we cross, we are introduced to a different language and a different culinary background. Here we bring a more special mithai from Lucknow that is making a splash on the internet, and it is none other than malai paan.
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Also known as malai ki gilori or balai ki gilori, this particular mithai screams infatuation! This video on how to prepare this decadent mithai went viral and it has 1.9 million views and 110k likes. Video posted by food blogger @foodie_incarnate on Instagram. Watch:
They start by boiling milk for about an hour to thicken it and remove moisture. Next, over an open charcoal fire, the milk is continued to be slow cooked in a thick, flat pan for several hours to create thick and creamy malai. Malay is cut into diagonal lines. To make paan, layers of malai cut into shapes like paan and filled with badam (almonds), pista (pistachios), kaju (cashew), elaichi (cardamom) and mishri (cane sugar). This particular type of mithai sells for INR 680/kg and can be found at Ban-wali gali, Chowk Bazaar in Lucknow.
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Lucknow’s special malai paan is layered with unsweetened pure malai and it’s filled with a combination of dried fruits and mishri (alum sugar). The malai used to make malai paan is not ordinary malai, its thickness is achieved after many hours of processing. The richness of the malai is accentuated by the sweet dried fruit stuffing, creating an immediate array of flavors. Everyone was amazed at how much time and patience it took to create this sweet fun!
Would you like to try this special Lucknow dessert? Let us know in the comments section below!
