Malai substitutes

Standard whipping cream at 35 percent fat or more, the practical everyday stand-in.

Best for

malai kofta and malai chicken, kulfi and rasmalai, korma and other creamy gravies, kheer and puddings, finishing curries

Works everywhere and is what most modern Indian recipes assume anyway. The differences are texture and flavor depth: malai is thicker, almost spoonable, and carries a distinctly cooked, slightly caramelised milk note from having been boiled, while cream is pourable and tastes fresh and clean. So a malai kofta finished with cream is slightly thinner and less deeply milky, which you can fix by simmering the cream in the gravy for two or three minutes to reduce it, or by using a heaped tablespoon of milk powder alongside it. Like malai, it will not curdle in a hot gravy, which is the important part.

British clotted cream, made by the same slow-heating process that produces malai.

Best for

rasmalai, malai kulfi, malai desserts, spreading and stuffing, enriching gravies at the end

The closest analogue there is, because clotted cream and malai are essentially the same thing arrived at by different traditions: whole milk held at a low heat until the fat and solids gather at the top. It has the same thick, slightly grainy, cooked-milk character. It is fattier than most malai, around 55 percent, so it is richer and can taste heavy in a delicate kheer; loosening it with a little milk brings it into range. Add it off the heat or at a bare simmer, since boiling it hard will make it release oil.

Smooth cashew paste, the thickener used in most restaurant malai and korma gravies.

Best for

malai kofta and malai paneer, korma and shahi gravies, vegan and dairy-free cooking, thickening a gravy as well as enriching it

Not a compromise but arguably the authentic restaurant answer, since cashew paste is doing the heavy lifting in most white Indian gravies. It brings body, mild sweetness and a glossy finish, and unlike cream it thickens the sauce as well as enriching it, so you may need a splash more water. Blend it completely smooth, ideally in a small blender, or the gravy will be gritty. It tastes nuttier and less dairy-like than malai, which is welcome in a korma and noticeable in a plain kheer. Naturally vegan, and it will not split.

The thick cream that separates and sets at the top of a refrigerated tin of coconut milk.

Best for

vegan malai kofta and curries, vegan kulfi and puddings, dairy-free desserts, rich gravies

The best vegan match for malai's thickness. Chill the tin overnight, open it upside down and scoop the solid layer, leaving the water behind. It is as thick as malai and just as heat-stable, so it will not split in a simmering gravy. The obvious difference is the coconut flavor, which sits comfortably in a South Indian or Bengali dish and stands out in a North Indian malai kofta or a rasmalai, where it turns the dessert into a coconut one. Using refined rather than virgin coconut products reduces the flavor a little.

A pantry version that recreates malai's concentrated cooked-milk character rather than its fat.

Best for

kheer and milk puddings, gravies, rasmalai syrup, when there is no cream in the house

Better than it sounds, because malai's defining flavor is concentrated cooked milk and that is exactly what evaporated milk and milk powder are. Whisk milk powder into cold milk until smooth, then warm it gently, and you get a thick, sweetish, milky enrichment. What is missing is fat, so the dish tastes less luxurious and coats the mouth less; the teaspoon of butter is there to make up part of it. Do not boil evaporated milk hard in an acidic gravy, such as one with a lot of tomato, or it can catch and curdle.

The real thing, gathered the traditional way rather than substituted.

Best for

rasmalai and malai kulfi, malai paratha and stuffed breads, malai gravies, when authenticity matters

Worth knowing because it costs nothing but patience. Boil full-fat, non-homogenised whole milk, then let it cool undisturbed in a wide pan, ideally in the fridge overnight; a skin of malai sets on the surface and you lift it off with a spoon. Repeat with fresh milk over a few days, storing the collected malai in the fridge, and it accumulates. Homogenised supermarket milk yields much less, which is why this works better with dairy or gold-top milk. Use it within three or four days, since it sours quickly.