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homemade traditional kulfi served in a ceramic plate with a spoon
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Kulfi Recipe

Kulfi is a traditional frozen dessert from the Indian sub continent. It is one of the most popular summer dessert and it comes with many flavor variations. The most popular ones being malai kulfi, kesar pista kulfi.
Kulfi is often referred to an traditional Indian ice cream but this frozen dessert is very much different from ice cream. This dish is much denser, less creamy, melts very slowly and has a delightful bite.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Kulfi, Kulfi recipe
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 376kcal
Author: Harini

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon rice flour Mixed in 3 tablespoons cold milk
  • 2 tablespoons almonds
  • 2 tablespoons pistachios more for garnishing
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup khoya or mawa
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon saffron strands

Instructions

Preparation

  • Take 1 tablespoon rice flour or corn flour in a bowl. I have used super fine rice flour here.
    rice flour in a mixing bowl
  • Add 3 tablespoons cold milk to it. Mix well
    cold milk added to rice flour
  • Add 2 tablespoons roasted almonds and 2 tablespoons roasted pistachios to a small mixer grinder jar or spice grinder or food processor.
    roasted almonds and pistachios in a mixer jar
  • Grind to a coarse powder.
    nuts powder
  • Take 1/4 cup khoya in a bowl.
    khoya or mawa in a bowl
  • Crumble it well so that there are no big lumps. I do not like to grate it or grind it. If you do so that grainy texture for kulfi will be lost.
    crumbled khoya in a bowl

Making Kulfi

  • Measure and add 2 cups full fat whole milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil in medium heat.
    Boiled milk
  • Once the milk reaches a boil, simmer it and place a ladle in the pan. It will prevent milk from boiling and spilling over. Now let the milk simmer for 20 minutes. Keep stirring and scraping any cream that gets collected once in a while and add it back to milk.
    simmering milk for kulfi recipe
  • Once the milk has simmered for 20 minutes and reduced a bit, add the prepared rice flour slurry.
    rice flour slurry added to simmering milk
  • Mix well using the same ladle and simmer for another 3 minutes. The milk will be very thick and almost like custard now.
    thickening milk for making kulfi
  • To the thickened milk add crumbled khoya and mix thoroughly. Maintain low heat throughout the process.
    khoya added to thick milk
  • Next add the prepared nuts powder and mix.
    nuts powder added for kulfi recipe
  • Add cardamom powder and saffron threads.
    cardamom powder and saffron strands added
  • Finally add 1/4 cup sugar and mix well. Sometimes when we add sugar at first, gauging the quantity may be difficult. So I prefer to add it after adding khoya.
    sugar added for kulfi
  • Now stir everything very well and simmer for another 5-6 minutes. Sugar should be dissolved completely.
    kulfi mixture getting ready
  • Remove from flame and let this mixture cool completely to room temperature. Now fill the kulfi moulds with this mixture. Cover with aluminum foil or parchment paper. You can insert an ice cream stick or popsicle sticks into each mold if you want.
    kulfi mixture added to molds
  • Freeze these for 12-14 hours or until completely frozen.
    kulfi frozen well
  • To serve, gently dip the moulds in bowl containing water water for 10 seconds or rub them between your palms or you can even loosen the edges with a knife. Add some dried rose petals and chopped pistachios and serve kulfi immediately. You can also slice kulfi like they do in shops. It stays well in shape for quite sometime.
    kulfi ready to serve

Notes

Use full fat milk or whole milk for best taste and texture. While you can make this low fat milk, the taste and texture is simply not the same.
Simmering milk for at least 20 minutes is very important to get the right texture.
Use freshly pounded cardamom powder for best flavor. Instead of saffron you can also use rose water.
This recipe makes 4 small servings. You can double or triple the recipe.
If kulfi molds are unavailable you can use popsicle molds, dixie paper cups or even shot glasses for kulfi. If using glassware just make sure they are freezer safe.
You can store kulfi in freezer for a month.

Nutrition

Serving: 3servings | Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 396IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 364mg | Iron: 1mg