Kulfi, the Indian version of ice cream, is a smooth and milky frozen dessert. It's denser and creamier than ice cream and just like the latter, comes in a variety of flavors. Originating as it is from the Indian subcontinent, it’s sometimes flavored with interesting spices like cardamom and saffron. Often served on a stick or in a mold, it's enjoyed not just in the summers but year-round. It's an essentially easy dish to make and can be prepared well in advance if you're planning a dinner party or any type of gathering. So read through this informative guide which talks about everything that you need to know to make this Indian Dessert.
Ingredients:
- 709.76 ml whole milk
- 80 grams Mawa (khoya or evaporated milk)
- 3 tablespoons raw sugar or white sugar – adjust as required
- 1.5 tablespoons Rice Flour
- 44.36 ml milk – to dissolve the rice flour
- 20 pistachios – shelled and unsalted
- 20 almonds
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or 4 green cardamoms powdered in a mortar-pestle and husks removed
- 1 teaspoon rose water or kewra water or a drop of kewra essence or rose essence
- 30 saffron strands – crushed
Directions:
- In a pan or kadhai, add milk and let it simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes. The milk will start to reduce and thicken as it heats. As this happens, keep stirring the milk so that it does not burn from the bottom.
- Crumble the khoya to a fine texture. Set aside.
- In a blender, grind the pistachios and almonds until they’re almost fine. Set aside.
- In a mortar and pestle, crush the cardamom pods. Remove and discard the husks and keep crushing till they reach a powdery consistency. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add 3 spoons of milk. Add the rice flour to this and mix well until fully combined. Set aside.
- Once the milk has simmered for about 20 minutes, add the sugar and mix well.
- Once the sugar has dissolved completely, add the rice flour paste to the milk. Stir continuously so that the paste does not form lumps but dissolves completely in the milk.
- Next, add the khoya, powdered nuts and powdered cardamom. Mix all this well.
- Keep a special eye on the khoya as you stir. It will tend to float and form lumps. During this time, you need to stir with full attention and check the bottom of the pan too. There should be no lumps. Once you’re sure that everything has dissolved completely, turn off the heat.
- Now add the rose water or kewra water and the crushed saffron. At this stage, depending on how sweet you want it, you can add more sugar if needed.
- Set this aside so it can cool to room temperature.
- Then pour the mixture into kulfi molds, popsicle molds, or small glasses or bowls. Freeze this for at least 24 hours. Once the kulfi has fully set, remove it, using a butter knife to loosen it if needed.
- Place on a serving plate. Slice into thin discs or place as is with the stick. Serve immediately.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- If you want to make vegan kulfi, use coconut cream instead of the khoya and replace the milk with coconut milk, almond milk or any other nondairy milk of your choice. These milk options don't need to simmer for as long, so the cooking time will be less. Also, unlike whole milk, this does not need to come to a boil. Letting it simmer on low heat is enough.
- If you can’t properly crumble the khoya by hand, grate it so that it becomes fine and crumbly.
- If you don't have khoya, you can use condensed milk instead of it. If you go this route, don't add sugar, since the condensed milk is already going to add sweetness.
- The rice flour is used to thicken the milk. If you don't have this or want to use something else, your options include cornstarch, potato starch or arrowroot powder.
- The nuts and flavors mentioned in this recipe are just suggestions and you can use any toppings of your choice.
- Cover the kulfi with aluminum foil while it freezes or it might get icy and uncomfortable to eat.