An undeniably intrinsic element of a Parsi wedding feast (lagan nu bhonu), it is a baked custard which can be translated to ‘wedding custard’ as the name ‘Lagan nu Custard’ suggests. Despite being a feasty relish, traditional lagan nu custard is regularly eaten at Parsi homes to reminisce good times and to conjure up cheer on a weekend or mid-week as a dessert. Our Lagan nu custard recipe can be effortlessly followed and prepared at home by anyone with just a few pantry ingredients and enjoyed. You can make flawless Parsi custard with this easy lagan nu custard recipe that explains each step and is simple to replicate.
You might think that Parsi lagan nu custard is similar to any European custard, but it’s very much Persian…though all custards start the same way; it’s the condiments, flavouring, and techniques used in them that set them apart. The closest European match we can get you for this one is a vanilla crème caramel or a vanilla crème brûlée.
▲ Enjoy the beautiful and delicious Lagan nu Custard
Living up to its name, Parsi lagan nu custard tastes every bit convivial and cheery. Aromatic with the festive flavours of nutmeg and cardamom, and adorned lavishly with slivers of almonds, pistachios, and charoli (chironji), it represents abundance. A lagan nu custard perfectly baked in the moderate heat of an oven would have slightly darkened spots or areas on the top layer resulting from the caramelizing of sugar in the oven. The texture would be moderately resilient yet it would yield to the fork as you dig into the custard. Every morsel of this decadent custard is creamy and silky as it dissolves immediately in the mouth. The sweetness of the custard is marvellously balanced by the creamy texture and the warm notes of spices and vanilla add an extra dimension and depth to the egg custard.
▲ Simmer and reduce milk to half its quantity then add powdered cinnamon and green cardamom
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▲ Tip eggs into a glass bowl and beat well with a whisk.
When it comes to making this traditional Parsi custard dessert then all you need is an easy Parsi lagan-nu custard recipe along with two rare virtues, time and patience! Breaking down the recipe to the basics, this custard is a result of a chemical reaction between proteins in the egg with sugar and milk. These basic pantry ingredients are used to make the base of the custard, while the nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla and nuts appropriately flavour this lagan nu custard, and the rest depends on the technique. This traditional Parsi lagan nu custard recipe requires a little bit of pre-preparation, which involves soaking almond and pistachio overnight and chopping them into thin slivers afterward. However, if time is an issue then almonds and pistachios can be blanched and slivered.
▲ Pour the room temperature reduced milk into the egg mixture
Once the milk is sweetened and reduced as per the recipe, and flavoured with nutmeg, cardamom powder, it is then set aside to cool down to room temperature. Cream is then added to whisked eggs and the mixture is beaten gently; following this the slivers of nuts and vanilla are added. Then both the mixtures are combined and beaten gently to allow them to coalesce. The mixture is transferred to a greased baking dish (or ramekins) which is placed in a pre-heated oven. The mixture is allowed to bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C/390°F, post which it should be removed and a cake tester or a knife should be pierced through the custard to check if it is done. More nuts are added as a garnish and the custard is left in the oven (that has already been turned off) for 5 minutes. The lagan nu custard is then removed and allowed to cool to room temperature before being placed in the refrigerator to set and chill.
▲ Pour the custard mixture into a greased baking dish
It might so happen that your lagan nu custard might not set in the duration recommended in the recipe. This might happen due to various reasons like using colder eggs from the fridge or using a heavy bottom ceramic dish for baking the custard, which takes longer to heat. Revisit the recipe to see if you missed any step, else just let the custard sit in the oven for a longer duration at the same temperature, which is 200°C/390°F. Do not crank up the heat because that will scramble the eggs and your lagan nu custard will turn eggy. So unless you want an Akoori (Parsi Scrambled eggs), follow our recipe for the oven temperature! Hopefully, that should do the trick.
▲ Remove the baked custard from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before chilling
No, it is not advisable to make any kind of custard in a microwave oven because one of the misgivings of this oven is that it heats up unevenly. Uneven cooking will lead to eggy pockets while leaving parts of the mixture raw.
▲ Serve the lagan nu custard chilled or at room temperature
If your lagan nu custard has set and released water, then you can call it the weeping of baked custard or syneresis, which occurs when proteins bind together tightly and squeeze out the water present in the food. This unsightly and undesirable result cannot be fixed but it is important to understand that it is caused due to the excessive heat applied to a high protein food product which must be cooked on gentle, constant heat under a watchful eye. Your custard might even smell eggy as the proteins in the egg release sulfur at high heat. Overcooking of the lagan nu custard after it has set or application of high heat can result in the weeping of the custard.
▲ Cut the lagan nu custard into wedges and dive in.
Patience bears sweet fruit, while in this case an irresistibly good custard. It holds true for lagan nu custard because it tastes its best when served cold. After its cooking time in the oven, this custard requires a minimum of four hours of chilling time in the refrigerator, post which you can either serve it straight in the ramekins in which it is set or if you set it in a large dish then you can serve carefully cut slices. With chiroli, pistachio, and almonds already adorning the custard, it does not call for any further garnishes. If you are planning to make lagan nu custard on a festive occasion as a dessert, you may consider trying Marghi Na Farcha as an appetizer, which is Parsi style crispy fried chicken and Jardaloo Murghi curry along with Patra ni Machhi (fish steamed with green masala in banana leaves) for the main course. This would make for an authentic Parsi-themed menu, and we guarantee you an unforgettable feast.
▲ Serve wedges of Lagan nu Custard to friends and family.
Learn how to make lagan nu custard at home with this traditional Parsi wedding custard recipe. With this easy-to-follow recipe, making this delicious egg custard just got a lot easier!