Tastenexa
All recipes
Indian
Malai Kulfi Dessert
45 min total15 prep30 cook6 servings280 cal
VegetarianClassicContains dairy
Rich, slow-cooked milk fudge frozen into dense, creamy kulfi with cardamom and pistachios. Unlike airy ice cream, kulfi melts slowly on the tongue with deep caramelized milk flavor.
Ingredients
dairy
- 4 cupwhole milk
- 1 cupheavy cream
pantry
- 0.75 cupgranulated sugar
- 4cardamom pods
- 0.25 cuppistachios
- 1 pinchsaffron
- 1 tbspcornstarch
Steps
- Crush cardamom pods and chop pistachios; soak saffron in a tablespoon of warm milk.
- Pour milk and cream into a heavy pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring often, until the milk reduces by about one-third and turns creamy, about 25 minutes.
- Whisk cornstarch with a splash of cold milk and stir into the pot to thicken slightly.
- Add sugar, cardamom, saffron milk, and half the pistachios; simmer 5 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator 1 hour.
- Pour into kulfi molds or small cups and freeze at least 6 hours until solid.
- Unmold by running warm water over the outside of each mold briefly.
- Slice or serve whole, garnished with remaining pistachios.
- Serve immediately while still dense and creamy.
Tips
- Stir the milk often while reducing to prevent scorching on the bottom.
- Cool the mixture completely before freezing for the smoothest texture.
- Line molds with pistachios for a pretty cross-section when sliced.
- Let kulfi sit at room temperature 2 minutes before unmolding.
