Indian cooking
Nimish (Frothy Delight)

Nimish

Frothy Delight
VegetarianOrigin AwadhPrep 2 hours, plus chilling time

Nimish is an airy, cloud-like chilled milk foam delicately perfumed with rosewater. It has a melt-in-the-mouth texture that is lightly sweet and accented with crunchy nuts.

Ingredients

01
517 g500 ml
dairy
02
101 g100 ml
dairy
03
1.6 g½ teaspoon
other
05
1.2 g¼ teaspoon
liquid
06
Unsalted pistachio nut · Pistablanched and slivered
8 g1 tablespoon
nut/seed

Method

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together 500 g full cream milk, 100 g cream and 0.5 teaspoon cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate overnight until thoroughly chilled.
  2. Add 1.2 g rosewater and about four teaspoons of the 50 g icing sugar to the chilled milk mixture. Whip at high speed using a whisk or hand mixer until a light foam rises to the surface.
  3. Skim off the foam layer onto a wide dish or tray and lightly dust with a portion of the remaining icing sugar. Continue whisking and lifting off the resulting foam in batches until the liquid is fully converted.
  4. Ladle the foam into individual serving bowls and finish with 1 tablespoon blanched and slivered pistachios scattered over the top.

Don't have something?

Full cream milk
  • Whole milk

    Use the same weight; it is the closest match in richness.

  • Milk

    Use the same weight; the dish will be slightly less creamy, so reduce any added water.

  • Milk powder

    For 100 g milk, use 12 g milk powder with 88 g water and whisk until smooth.

Heavy cream
  • Double cream

    Use the same weight. It is richer and whips firmer; loosen with a little milk if the recipe needs pouring cream.

  • Single cream

    Use the same weight, but expect a thinner sauce or filling; do not boil hard or it may split.

  • Full cream milk

    Use 85% of the weight and add 15% melted butter or ghee; simmer to reduce slightly. It will be less rich and will not whip.

Cream of tartar
  • Lemon juice

    Use double the weight. Good for stabilising egg whites or as the acid in baking.

  • White vinegar

    Use double the weight. Neutral acid; works for egg whites and bicarbonate mixes.

  • Baking powder

    If the recipe also uses bicarbonate of soda, replace both with baking powder at 1.5 times their combined weight.

Icing sugar
  • Caster sugar

    Use the same weight and grind to a fine powder in a dry blender. Add 3% cornflour by weight if you need it to stay powdery.

  • Granulated sugar

    Use the same weight and grind in small batches until fine. It is coarser and may feel gritty in uncooked icings.

  • Sugar candy

    Use the same weight and grind to a powder. It is harder to grind and gives a slightly crunchier result.

Rosewater
  • Screwpine water or rosewater

    If using kewra water, use 50% of the volume specified; it is intensely floral and pungent, so add drop by drop to avoid overpowering.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 0.5 g ground spice for every 5 ml rosewater. Adds warm, perfumed top notes, shifting the aroma from floral to sweet spice.

  • Dried rose petals

    Steep 1 g dried petals in 15 ml hot milk or water for 10 minutes, strain, and stir in for a subtle, natural floral note.

Unsalted pistachio nut
  • Pistachio

    Use the same weight; check for salt and adjust the recipe's salt.

  • Almond

    Use the same weight; toast lightly before chopping. It is milder but works for garnishes and pastes.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; grind with a little water for pastes. It is softer and sweeter.

Similar dishes

Kulfi
Ice Cream
Kulfi is much sweeter, heavier, and richer than the airy, lightly sweet foam of this dish.
  • Same: Like this dish, Kulfi is a cold milk-based dessert flavored with floral water and nuts.
  • Different: Rather than being whipped into a delicate chilled foam, Kulfi is made by slowly simmering milk until thick and freezing it solid with granulated sugar.
Rabri
Thickened Milk
Rabri tastes richer and denser than this dish, with cardamom aroma and nut topping, while this dish is airy, light and melt-in-the-mouth.
  • Same: Rabri shares full cream milk, rosewater, pistachio and sweetness with this dish.
  • Different: Rabri adds green cardamom, granulated sugar and almond, lacks this dish's heavy cream, icing sugar and cream of tartar, and is simmered and reduced rather than whipped into a chilled foam.
Kalakand
Creamy Milk Sweets
Kalakand is much sweeter, richer, and fudgier, without the light floral quality of this dish.
  • Same: Both preparations are milk-based sweets finished with a crunchy nut garnish.
  • Different: Kalakand is cooked into a dense fudge from concentrated khoya and granulated sugar rather than whipped into a chilled foam, and it omits rosewater.
Homemade Ghee
Homemade Ghee tastes rich and nutty, while this dish is lightly sweet, rose-scented, and airy.
  • Same: Homemade Ghee shares a dairy base with this dish, since it is made from unsalted butter while this dish uses full cream milk and heavy cream.
  • Different: Homemade Ghee lacks this dish's icing sugar, rosewater, cream of tartar, and pistachios, and it is simmered and strained instead of whipped and chilled into a foam.