These pale clouds are Lucknow’s favourite winter dessert, and modern restaurants have noticed
Known by many different names across northern India, makhan malai is made from hand-churning milk and cream into an airy froth
On winter mornings in Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh, vendors gather near the Gol Darwaza gateway as the city stirs. They hover over high tables crowned with large basins, which are heaped with what looks like whipped cream.
This seasonal confection is known by many different names across northern India: makhan malai or nimish in Lucknow and Kanpur, malaiyo in Varanasi, and daulat ki chaat (“a taste of wealth”) in Delhi – the latter name perhaps best describing the transient essence of the dessert.
Slight variations aside, the skilled process is the same: milk and cream are hand-churned into an airy froth that holds its cloudlike form in the chilly air, collapsing as the sun rises.
The creation of this fleeting dish involves a painstaking process.
“We start with boiling buffalo milk and cream, the latter bought separately from dairies, and then cool this within large basins of ice until about 2am,” says Deepak Mishra, a makhan malai vendor in Lucknow. “The dew that sets on the milk overnight plays an important role. The colder it is, the more dew, and the better the taste.” There are no thermometers or timers – just instinct honed over years. If it’s too cold or warm, the makhan (froth) will not form properly, adds Mishra, who has sold the dish for 23 years.
