Malai Sandwiches

Growing up, we would frequently visit with or, periodically, move in with my cousins, aunt and uncle. During Summer school holidays, all four cousins would spend the morning playing made-up games.  We were soldiers at war with stick guns, we were shopkeepers, meticulously counting our stacks of money (hand-cut pieces of paper with the currency written on them, bound by tiny rubber bands), and we were doctors attending to make-believe patients. 

By mid-morning, we would have already been playing for a few hours outside in the blazing sun. We would take a short break for my aunt’s specialty snack: malai sandwiches. Historically, Indian households would get whole cow or buffalo milk directly from farms or dairies. The milk was raw, unpasteurized, so people would regularly boil the milk before consuming it. More recently, pasteurized milk comes in packets from dairy cooperatives but old habits die hard and people continue to boil milk. 

Malai is the cream that separates and floats to the top as milk simmers. My aunt would carefully scoop up and cool the malai, thick and creamy, and spread it over a soft piece of white bread. She would generously sprinkle sugar over the open-faced sandwich. We each got a malai and sugar sandwich before we rushed off to continue our games.  The cooling and nourishing snack was just the right fuel to keep us going until lunchtime.  [Reema]