Lagan nu Custard
Veg
The Parsi wedding baked custard — a rich, fragrant egg-and-milk custard set in a large baking dish, flavoured with cardamom, nutmeg, rose water, and topped with sliced charoli nuts, almonds, and pistachios before baking until the top is set and lightly caramelised. Denser and more firmly set than crème caramel, with a more complex spice profile; the roasted nut topping gives it texture. Served cold, sliced into squares, at the end of every lagan (wedding) feast; it is considered auspicious and no Parsi wedding banquet is complete without it.
Cuisines
Parsi
Best for
Dessert
Recipe
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 500 ml | milk |
| 3 tablespoons | sugar |
| 3 | eggs |
| 1 teaspoon | vanilla essence |
| 1 tablespoon | rose water |
| 1/4 teaspoon | nutmeg powder |
| 1/4 teaspoon | cardamom powder |
| 2 tablespoons | slivered almonds |
| 2 tablespoons | raisins |
| 1 tablespoon | ghee |
Instructions
- 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- 2 In a saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it is warm but not boiling.
- 3 Add sugar to the warm milk and stir until it dissolves completely.
- 4 In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly and add vanilla essence and rose water.
- 5 Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture, stirring continuously to prevent the eggs from curdling.
- 6 Strain the mixture into a baking dish to ensure a smooth custard.
- 7 Sprinkle nutmeg powder and cardamom powder over the mixture.
- 8 Heat ghee in a small pan and lightly fry the slivered almonds and raisins until golden.
- 9 Pour the fried almonds and raisins along with the ghee over the custard mixture.
- 10 Place the baking dish in a larger tray filled with a little water to create a water bath.
- 11 Bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the custard is set and a knife inserted comes out clean.
- 12 Allow the custard to cool slightly before serving.
Tips
Ensure the water bath does not dry out during baking to prevent the custard from cracking.