Making kulfi at home has never been so easy


Making kulfi at home has never been so easy

Flavours of cardamom, pistachio, almond and creamy milk in this chilled Indian dessert



A step-by-step guide to making Kulfi Video Credit: Anas Thacharpadikkal/Gulf News

Popularly known as Kulfi, this Indian frozen dessert was popularised by Mughals in the 16th century. This Indian dessert gained popularity for reasons more than one. The rich, flavourful burst of conventional kulfi has many flavours, namely cardamom, pistachios, almond-pistachio, malai or cream, and sometimes rose. This is also a popular dessert across many South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and Myanmar.

Indian summer nights and a chilled matka (earthen pot) kulfi or even stick kulfi go hand in hand, quite literally. In many Indian cities, big and small, one can see kulfi vendors selling kulfi on their pushcarts; ringing a bell, to announce their arrival for people, especially kids who eagerly wait for it. Call it a respite from the scorching heat or an excuse to step out and chit-chat with neighbours, every Indian has a special kulfi memory.

Relive that sweet memory by trying out this almond-pistachio kulfi recipe at home:

Ingredients: 

1 l milk

200 gms sugar

200 gms khoya (reduced milk solids)

To make khoya
Boil 1.5 litres of milk (around 5 cups). Once the milk comes to a boil, lower the flame and simmer it on low heat. Keep stirring at regular intervals of about 2 to 3 minutes. Whenever the milk begins to rise and froth - stir. Keep doing it regularly. The milk will reduce to an extent where you can see bubbles bursting and you know the khoya is ready. Scrape the sides of the pan regularly when you stir. This process takes about 2 to 2.5 hours.

1 tbsp honey

2-3 pods cardamom powder (ground into a fine powder)

2 slices of milk bread (soaked in one cup milk)

2 tbsp pistachio (sliced)

2 tbsp almond (sliced)

Ingredients for Patiyala Kulfi
Ingredients [Clockwise]: Sliced almonds, milk, cardamom powder, sugar, pistachios, bread crumbs and khoya Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

1. Pour milk in a pan and bring it to a boil.

Note: Add a little water before pouring in the milk, so that it does not stick to it.

How to make kulfi
Pour milk into a milk pan Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

2. Add cardamom powder to the milk. Note: A hack to the traditional kulfi - breadcrumbs are added to thicken the milk faster. Usually the milk is reduced by stirring it continuously over a low flame.

Make kulfi at home
Add bread crumbs Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News
Make kulfi
Add sugar in the milk Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

3. Next, add the sliced pistachios to the milk. 

How to make kulfi at home
Add pistachios to the milk Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

4. Add breadcrumbs into the milk. 

Making kulfi
Add bread crumbs to milk Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

5. Crumble the khoya and add to the milk. 

Making Kulfi or frozen Indian milk dessert
Add khoya (thickened dry milk) into milk Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

6. Pour in some honey towards the end and keep stirring the milk on low heat. 

Here's how to make kulfi at home
Add honey to milk Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

7. Once the milk is reduced and thickens, allow it to cool down and bring it to room temperature. Transfer the milk into a kulfi mould and put it in the freezer.

Making Kulfi at home
Pour the milk into a kulfi mold Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

8. Freeze the kulfi for at least 6 hours. Remove from the freezer. To unmould - drop the mould in room temperature water for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then place the mould on a clean surface and remove the kulfi.

Kulfi
Kulfi is ready. Cut into cubes and drizzled with rose syrup Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

Slice and serve with a garnish of some rose syrup or chopped nuts.

Tell us about your favourite dessert recipes at food@gulfnews.com

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