Kesar Pista Kulfi
Kesar Pista Kulfi is a traditional Indian version of Ice-cream made with full cream milk, simmered until it is reduced and infused with saffron and pistachio nuts.
While we have an array of ice creams available in the market today, kulfi holds a special place in summer desserts. I am sure most of us would have fond memories of the excitement from hearing the bell sound of a kulfi vendor who used to sell kulfis from the mobile cart. When it comes to Kulfi, the choice used to be always limited (typically Kesar Pista Kulfi or Malai Kulfi) as compared to ice-creams, but for me it is still the king of chilled or frozen desserts. Kesar Pista flavour is my personal favourite for both kulfis and ice creams.
There are some fundamental differences between ice-creams and kulfi. Firstly, kulfi is primarily made using milk which is reduced by simmering for a long time, where as ice cream is made by churning or whipping fresh cream. I however use little fresh cream in my kulfi for that extra richness and creamy texture. The second difference is around the texture – kulfi is set hard as compared to an ice-cream and generally one has to bite into it. Also kulfi does not melt as fast as a regular ice cream.
Kulfis can be set in various forms and shapes, with the most popular ones being the conical popsicle mould which is traditionally made of aluminium (though there are quite a few plastic ones available in the market now). The other forms are Matka kulfi (set in kullad like matkas) and more recently we also get to see the kulfis which are set in discs and served on a plate. Either be the form, they all taste equally good. So the choice of mould that you want to use is totally yours.
It is to be noted that making Kulfi is a slightly time consuming process, but trust me it is worth all the effort! The key activity here is to reduce the milk by continuously boiling it and stirring intermittently. Though there are numerous short cuts available these days to accelerate this process, either by addition of some condensed milk or bread slices (with the corners cut), but I like making this dessert the traditional way by patiently reducing the milk just the way it is done in halwai shops.
Variations
Though the base of any kulfi recipe is reduced milk, the variation comes in the form of various flavouring agents that are used. One of the most classic kulfi is Kesar Pista Kulfi which makes use of saffron and broken pistachio nuts for the flavouring. We will be focussing on this variation as part of the recipe below.
Similarly, the other popular variation is Malai Kulfi, which also makes use of some Khoya and a pinch of cardamom.
Some of the other variations include Mango Kesar Kulfi, Kesar Badam Kulfi, Chocolate Kulfi, Paan Kulfi and the list goes on.
Some Tips for Perfect Kulfi
First and foremost, use full cream milk for this recipe. Low fat or skimmed milk would not work for this.
Use a heavy bottom pan or kadai to reduce the milk as this would prevent burning of the milk.
Boil the milk on medium flame and keep stirring and scraping the milk solids.
It is important to reduce the milk to at least half or until thick to avoid the formation of ice crystals. Also close the moulds tightly and try to add a cling film on top before closing the moulds.
Serving Suggestion
This frozen dessert can be served as-is, however you could also serve it with some falooda, sprinkle some extra nuts and drizzle with some syrup like rose syrup.
Kesar Pista Kulfi
Ingredients
- 1.5 litre Milk Full Cream
- ¼ cup Fresh Cream
- 5 tbsp Sugar
- 20-25 strands Saffron
- ¼ cup Pistachio nuts chopped
Instructions
- Take a heavy bottom pan (wide in diameter) and add the milk and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the flame to medium to avoid spill over and keep stirring intermittently. Add 1/4th cup fresh cream and mix well
- Take around 1/4 cup of hot milk from the pan and mix the saffron strands and let it rest for around 10-15 minutes till it is fully dissolved in milk.
- Keep cooking the milk on medium flame while stirring intermittently and scraping the milk solids from the side of the pan. The milk must reduce to almost half of the quantity. This would take approximately 45 minutes from the start time.
- Now add the saffron infused milk and mix well.
- Add 5 tablespoons of sugar to the milk and stir well. Cook for further 5-8 minutes while stirring in between.
- Turn off the heat and add the chopped pistachio nuts. You could add a pinch of cardamom too if you wish. Cool this mixture completely till it comes to room temperature.
- Transfer the reduced milk in kulfi moulds of your choice and optionally cover with cling film and close the lids tightly. Freeze them overnight or a minimum of 8 hours.
- Before serving, insert an ice-cream stick in the kulfi. For taking the kulfi out of the moulds, use your hands to rub the mould for few seconds and then slightly pull the ice cream stick out.
Notes
- Use only full fat milk for this recipe.
- Use a heavy bottom kadai or pan for cooking the milk.
- Keep stirring the milk regularly and scrape the milk solids. The milk solids also help in accelerating the thickening process.
- Cook the milk on medium flame to avoid spill over or burning of milk.
- Reduce the milk to at least half. If the milk is not reduced enough, there could be ice crystals in the kulfi which does not taste good.
- Freeze the kulfis in lowest temperature possible.
- Cardamom powder could be optionally added in this recipe. However I skip it, as the saffron flavour is good enough.
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