The vendor lifts a lid, and inside the vast brass vessel is something that looks like a cloud. Pale yellow, flecked with saffron and green pistachio, impossibly light. He scoops a little into a clay kulhad. You lift it to your mouth and it just disappears, cool, sweet and fragrant, leaving only a trace of cardamom.
This is malaiyo, and it only exists in winter.
Milk is boiled and sweetened, then left out overnight under the open winter sky. Tradition holds that the dew settling on it through the night is what gives malaiyo its texture. Before dawn, the milk is whipped and churned by hand for a long time until it rises into a foam, then flavoured with saffron, cardamom and nuts.
The froth doesn't last long. By late morning, most vendors have sold out or packed up. It's a dessert you have to wake up early for.
Malaiyo appears roughly from November to February, when the nights are cold enough. You'll find it at small sweet shops and street vendors in the old lanes of Varanasi, especially in the Pakka Mahal area near the ghats and around Chowk. Go early. Follow the crowd of locals with clay cups.
Eat at the small, busy places with constant turnover, where food is cooked in front of you. Breakfast is the big meal in the lanes, so wake early. And don't fill up too fast. In Banaras, there's always one more thing to taste around the corner.
Some of our best mornings in Kashi have started with a kulhad of malaiyo. Explore GoRaahi's winter Banaras departures.
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