Kesar Pista Kulfi is an Indian ice cream that is made by evaporating the milk and adding saffron and pistachios. Ice cream is egg or custard-based, that is made with the addition of whisked cream. Kulfi, on the other hand, is traditionally made from milk that is simmered, sweetened, and frozen.

One of my perennial favorites is the Kesar Pista Kulfi. Kesar is the Hindi word for saffron and pista is a shortened form for pistachio. Kulfi is a creamy and luscious dessert that is served in Indian restaurants around the world. This is one ice cream I cannot have enough of. It hearkens me to my childhood days in the southern city of Chennai in India, where I cooled down during the hot months savoring kulfi served as popsicles or in tall sundae glasses smothered with tropical fruits and toasted nuts. My kids look forward to homemade kulfi during the hot, dry California summers, especially before school starts in August.

Origin of Kesar Pista Kulfi:

Kulfi dates to the 16th century and is believed to have originated in India during Akbar’s rule. Kulfi or Qulfi in Farsi (Persian) means “covered up” and has its origin from Arabic. This dessert refers to the condensed milk that was sweetened and flavored with saffron before being poured into molds that were then covered and frozen. Apparently, the royal families of the Himalayan regions prepared and enjoyed kulfi with saffron or kesar and pistachio. Subsequently, it was made by the common folks in matka or clay pots. This delectable ice cream is now enjoyed throughout the world.

Characteristics of kulfi with saffron and pistachios:

• Creamy yet not very light
• Not flaky but smooth – water molecules that freeze in the ice cream will give a flaky texture
• Thick and dense
• Not chunky

Differences between regular ice cream and kulfi:

Regular ice cream as we know it, is made of cream and egg yolks that are whipped to peaks and frozen. On the other hand, kulfi is made by reducing the milk and then gently whisking with sugar and other natural ingredients. Kulfi is usually served in a glass, on a plate, or as a popsicle and not scooped like ice cream. Furthermore, this process of evaporating the milk gives the kulfi a unique caramelized flavor from the lactose.

Ingredients for all three variations of kulfi recipes:

1. Whole milk or full cream milk – not the reduced fat milk
2. Saffron strands or kesar
3. Green cardamom – remove the skin of the pods and crush the seeds
4. Freshly grated coconut using only the white part of the kernel
5. Fresh, fragrant pink rose petals
6. Milk powder – also available in Indian grocery stores
7. Heavy cream -fresh preferred
8. All-purpose flour or plain flour
9. Granulated sugar – you must make your kulfi sweeter than if you were to have it as a drink; freezing the ice cream takes away a bit of its sweetness; so adjust the sweetness accordingly.
10. Fresh lychees, deseeded
11. Rose syrup – commonly available In Indian and Middle Eastern stores

How to reduce the milk for Kesar Pista Kulfi:

I have attended summer classes on making desserts while I was a student in school. In Chennai, there are many homemakers who teach beginners how to cook. Typically, these classes span over the entire summer. These instructors would give live demos on how to make various dishes and pass on notes and recipes. Besides, the beginners would even get a sample of the dish that was made collectively. I learned how to make kulfi at one of these summer classes.

How not to burn the milk while evaporating:

The key to making good kulfi is in the reduction of the milk. While boiling the milk, keep stirring every now and then. You do not want to burn the milk or the bottom of the heavy pot. The milk will keep frothing up. Therefore, you must occasionally stir or the milk will boil over. If you just boil and reduce the milk to half the quantity, then you will still taste some of the water content that would have frozen to flakes. What you should be going for is milk that has been reduced to at least one-third of its original quantity. Additionally, the thickened and caramelized milk residue must be whisked for a smooth texture.

Important ingredient in the Kesar Pista Kulfi:

The secret ingredient in a good kulfi is to add some plain flour and whisk it. The flour gives that creamy texture without the flakes. It is for this reason that I invariably use flour in my kulfi along with powdered nuts. The alternate to plain flour is milk powder, but plain flour makes it just right. When I had learnt this technique at one of the summer dessert classes, my kulfi was always “voted” the best by friends and family. Follow this recipe verbatim, and you are bound to get friends raving about your creamy, smooth, tastefully made kulfi! Subsequently, they will ask for the recipe, and you would be happy to share it with them.

1.How to make Kesar Pista Kulfi:

1. Boil the milk and reduce or evaporate the milk to one-third of the original quantity.

2. Keep stirring occasionally on medium heat. Use a heavy bottomed pot.

3. Take 2 cups of the reduced milk and add the sugar, all-purpose flour, and the blanched powdered almonds. Use a hand blender or a whisk to blend all the ingredients. Take care to ensure that there are no lumps in the mixture.

4. Add the saffron and powdered pistachios. Reserve some coarsely ground pistachios for garnish.

5. Give a quick whisk until there are no lumps.

6. Pour the mixture into wet molds (rinsed with water) specially made for Kulfi. Alternatively, you could pour into wet popsicle molds and cover with foil and insert popsicle sticks. Freeze the kulfi overnight.

7. Remove molds from the freezer. Run the molds under the kitchen faucet for a few seconds and gently squeeze the mold. Turn the mold upside down on a plate or sundae bowl. The kulfi will slide out. Garnish with pistachios and/or saffron.

Other variations that I made (can be seen in the image- bottom right is the kesar pista kulfi; bottom left is the almond lychee kulfi; and the popsicles at the top left are the coconut rose kulfi).

2.How to make the Almond Lychee Kulfi:

I used the same proportions as the Kesar Pista Kulfi for the Kesar Almond Kulfi and added only the blanched powdered almonds (no pistachios) and lychee puree. To further thicken it, I added condensed milk.

3.How to make the Coconut Rose Kulfi:

I used the same proportions as the Kesar Pista Kulfi for the Coconut Rose Kulfi and added freshly grated coconut and the petals of one fragrant pink rose instead of the pistachios and almonds. Finally, I added fresh cream and milk powder instead of plain flour along with a dash of rose syrup.

Would you like to try some of my other desserts, such as French Profiteroles or the Malaysian-Singaporean Ondeh-Ondeh Recipe and  Bubur Chacha?

It has been blazing hot here in the Bay Area. A smooth and luscious popsicle of kulfi is truly blissful! You can make mango kulfi by adding some mango purée. Kesar Pista Kulfi and other variations can be frozen for many months.

Kesar Pista Kulfi

Kanchan Dilip

Creamy, luscious frozen kulfi ice cream with saffron and pistachios. I have included two other variations: Almond Lychee Kulfi and Coconut Rose Kulfi. This decadent dessert is so easy to make in large quantities.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Freeze overnight 8 hours hrs

Total Time 9 hours hrs

Course Desserts

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6

Calories 795 kcal

Equipment

• Stove top, hand blender, freezer

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the kesar pista kulfi:

• ▢ 1 gallon whole milk evaporated to less than a third, use 2 cups of the reduced milk for this recipe
• ▢ 1 pinch saffron (aka kesar)
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ tsp green cardamom seeds powdered without the skin
• ▢ 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tbsp pistachios unsalted, powdered
• ▢ 1 tbsp almonds blanched, powdered fine

Instructions

 

How to reduce and evaporate the milk:

• In a tall heavy bottom pot, boil the milk. Lower the heat to medium when the milk boils.
  
• Stir occasionally when the milk rises to the top. Fold the top cream into the milk while stirring. Avoid letting the milk from boiling over, by reducing the heat and stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the milk to one-third in quantity. Turn off the heat and cool until lukewarm.
  

How to make Kesar Pista Kulfi:

• Take 2 cups of the reduced milk and add the sugar, all-purpose flour, and the blanched powdered almonds. Use a hand blender or a whisk to blend all the ingredients. Take care to ensure that there are no lumps in the mixture.
  
• Add the saffron and powdered pistachios. Reserve some coarsely ground pistachios for garnish.
  
• Whisk again until there are no lumps.
  
• Pour the mixture into wet molds specially made for kulfi.
  
• Alternatively, you could pour into wet popsicle molds and cover with foil and insert popsicle sticks. Freeze the kulfi overnight.
  
• Remove the molds from the freezer. Run the molds under the kitchen faucet for a few seconds and gently squeeze the mold. Turn the mold upside down on a plate or sundae bowl. The kulfi will slide out. Garnish with pistachios and/or saffron.

How to make Almond Lychee Kulfi:

• I used the same proportions as the Kesar Pista Kulfi for the Kesar Almond Kulfi and added only the blanched powdered almonds (no pistachios) and 3 tablespoons of lychee puree. To further thicken it, I added 3 tablespoons of condensed milk.

How to make Coconut Rose Kulfi:

• I used the same proportions as the Kesar Pista Kulfi for the Coconut Rose Kulfi and added 3 tablespoons of freshly grated coconut and the petals of one fragrant pink rose instead of the pistachios and almonds. Finally, I added 2 tablespoons of fresh cream and 1 tablespoon of milk powder instead of plain flour along with a dash of rose syrup.
  

Notes

1. Whole milk is required to make creamy kulfi. 
2. Use a heavy bottomed-pan to reduce the milk. (See tips and techniques on blog post).

Nutrition

Calories: 795kcalCarbohydrates: 100gProtein: 32gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 408mgPotassium: 1313mgFiber: 1gSugar: 98gVitamin A: 1549IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 1082mgIron: 1mg

Keyword kesar pista kulfi, kulfi, malai kulfi, mango kulfi

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