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Pista Kulfi (Pistachio Ice Cream)
July 22nd, 2008 filed under Desserts
Kulfi is a very popular Indian ice cream. Kulfi comes in a variety of different flavors. Traditional kulfi is flavored with cardamom; this recipe is flavored with cardamom and pistachios.
Serves 6.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 slice of white bread
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground cardamom (ilachi)
- 10 pistachios sliced
Method
- Remove the crust from all sides of the bread and cut the bread in small pieces.
- Blend bread pieces, cornstarch, and a 1/2 cup of milk, making smooth paste and set aside.
- Boil remaining milk (3.5 cups) in nonstick frying pan on medium high heat.
- Stir milk as needed to keep milk from burning on the bottom of the frying pan. Stir the sides of the pan to avoid scalding.
- After milk comes to boil, let the milk boil for another 12 minutes. The goal is to boil the milk from 3 1/2 cups to 2 1/2 cups.
- Add the bread mixture to the milk in frying the pan and cook for another 4 minutes, reducing the heat to medium. Bread and cornstarch are added to reduce the water crystallizing in kulfi during freezing.
- Next add sugar and pistachios and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add cardamom powder.
- Cool the milk to room temperature and pour into a bowl,
- Take cellophane wrap and place it right over the milk covering it completely. Note: It is important that the cellophane wrap touches the milk.
- Put it in freezer. It will take about 7 hours for the kulfi to be ready to serve.
Variations
- Replace pistachios with almond or coconut powder.
- Replace pistachios with finally chopped fruits like mangos or strawberries. Add fruits in the end after turning off the heat.
- Many people enjoy eating kulfi like a Popsicle. Before freezing, pour the milk mixture in to a Popsicle mold. If you don’t have Popsicle mold use small paper cups and place cellophane wrap on top of the milk and place a Popsicle stick in center of cup and freeze.
Hi Manjula, I’m an italian fan of yours. I like the Indian food and the way you use to cook it. I would like to congratulate you on the semplicty with whom you explain your recipes and as I want to try to cook your dishes, I would like to know the grams-weight of the plastic and glass cups that you use.
thank you for you reply and have nice days.
[...] is an Indian ice cream that is often flavored with cardamom, cinnamon, or saffron. Mine is based on Manjula’s kulfi. While she freezes hers in a mold I used my ice cream maker and put it in small molds after [...]
I hope Manjula ji will reply to you for this problem because I’m sure she has made this dish more often that I have and offer suggestions for corrections.
hi jaya, eventhough i could cut the kulfi with a knife, yet i couldnot cut it with a spoon while eating. ultimately i had to hold it in my hand and eat. dont know where i am going wrong
Swagatika,
You did not boil the milk enough or used too much corn starch.
hi jaya or manjulaji,
there were tiny ice crystals in the kulfi i made. i had pressed the plastic firmly in the mix. when i took the mixture out of the stove, it still looked a bit watery. i kept it in the freezer for more than 24 hours at the coldest point. can u pl advise. your kulfi looks creamy and yummy in the video. i could cut the kulfi with a knife after taking out though.
Swagatika, I wouldn’t worry about small ice crystals. It’s hard to prevent them completely. Did your kulfi taste good otherwise?
yes, it was lovely. thanks
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as some have suggested i used silicone muffin molds…all your recipes are always tastier….this is just an other one.
mam can u tell alternate for cellophane wrap i am in india can i use polythene cover or aluminium foil ?
Annanya use polythene
hi madam.i dont know cornstarch .what is that.it is easy to buy in indian grocery stores or not.with out mixing cornstrach kulfi comes good or not.what is the alternative.please reply me .tomarrow is my sister birthday
Hello Priya,
Try arrow root.