Gulab jamun rabri parfait

Start by making the rabri. Lightly grease a large saucepan then pour the milk into it 

Bring the milk up to a boil then reduce the heat down to low. Take a small cup of the hot milk and set it aside in a bowl. Add in the saffron and allow it to bloom

Once a skin begins to form on the top of the milk, push it to the side of the pot and stick it to the edge. Make sure to keep stirring the milk at the bottom of the pan to avoid any of the solids burning to the base of the pan

Keep stirring and sticking the cream layer to the side of the pot until the milk reduces to around half the original quantity, about 30 minutes

Once the milk has reduced by half, add in the caster sugar, then add in the saffron soaked milk, cardamom powder and rose water

Scrape the cream layers on the side of the pot back into the base along with the reduced milk. Continue to simmer and stir the pot until the milk has reduced to around a third of the original quantity

Meanwhile, bring some water up to a boil in a separate pan. Add in the nuts and then remove from the heat. Leave them to steep in the hot water for 10 minutes 

Remove the nuts from the pan and remove the pistachio shells, then roughly chop them

Add in the nuts to the reduced milk and turn off the heat. Chill the rabri for 2 hours

Next, make the gulab jamun. Mix together the milk powder, flour and baking powder

Stir in the melted ghee, then add in the milk and mix until a dough forms. Take care to avoid kneading the dough as this will toughen up the mixture. Shape into a ball then set aside 

Cover with cling film and leave to rest for around 15 minutes

Next prepare the sugar syrup. Add the sugar, water, cardamom and saffron to a pot and simmer for around 5 minutes, or until it has reduced to a sticky syrup

Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and rose water. Cover with a lid and set aside

With lightly oiled hands, roll the jamun dough into balls. Try to make sure that there are no cracks in the dough as this can increase the risk of the jamuns breaking when they are fried

Heat enough ghee to submerge the gulab jamun – about two inches – in a wide, heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat. Once hot, fry off the jamun balls in batches. Turn the heat down as needed to avoid burning the balls, but continue to fry each batch until golden brown

Remove the jamun with a slotted spoon, removing any excess ghee, then transfer them to the hot sugar syrup

Cover and rest for 2 hours or until the jamuns absorb the syrup and double in size 

Next, whip the double cream with the icing sugar until stiff peaks form

Add in 250g of the chilled rabri to the cream and gently fold so that they come together

Spoon the rabri cream mix into serving bowls. Top with a layer of the jamun, then garnish with chopped pistachios and another layer of the cream

Repeat, finishing the dishes with a layer of chopped pistachios

Chill for 2 hours before serving

Alternatively, for a sharing-sized parfait, fill a piping bag fitted with a large circular nozzle with the whipped cream mix, then pipe the mix into the base of a rectangular glass bowl

Top with a layer of the jamun, then garnish with dried rose petals, chopped pistachios and another layer of the cream

Repeat, finishing the dishes with a layer of rose petals and chopped pistachios

Chill for 2 hours before serving