Komolar payesh, Bengali orange milk pudding

Ingredients

• 1 liter of whole milk
• 200 g of sweetened condensed milk
• 100 g of sugar (to your liking)
• 3 large, sweet oranges
• 6 blanched and chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons of mixed dried fruits
• A few saffron stigmas
• A pinch of ground cardamom

Peel the oranges and separate the segments. Remove the thin white peel from each segment and the seeds. Squeeze a few segments to collect some juice.

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat.

As soon as it starts to simmer, reduce the heat and stir regularly to prevent it from sticking. Allow it to thicken for about 20 minutes.

Add the condensed milk, sugar, saffron, and cardamom, mix well, and continue to cook for another 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the almonds and dried fruits.

Once the cream has reached the desired consistency, turn off the heat and stir gently.

Let it cool completely: this is essential, as adding the orange while it’s still hot will cause the milk to curdle.

Gently fold in the orange segments and a little juice, without over-mixing, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.