{"id":692,"date":"2025-10-26T22:14:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T22:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stagingen.saffrona.eu\/?p=692"},"modified":"2026-10-11T12:23:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T12:23:56","slug":"kesar-kulfi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/kesar-kulfi\/","title":{"rendered":"Kesar Kulfi: Indian Saffron Ice Dessert with Pistachios"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"saffrona-academy\">\n<p>Kesar kulfi is a dense, creamy frozen dessert scented with saffron and cardamom. This version uses gently reduced milk, pistachios and almonds, and sets in the freezer without an ice-cream machine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"saffrona-summary\"><strong>Recipe at a glance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Serves 4 \u00b7 Reduce the milk to about half its original volume \u00b7 Freeze for at least 6 hours \u00b7 No churning required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav aria-label=\"Recipe sections\"><a href=\"#ingredients\">Ingredients<\/a><a href=\"#method\">Method<\/a><a href=\"#tips\">Tips<\/a><a href=\"#faq\">Questions<\/a><\/nav>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Kesar-Kulfi-2-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Golden kesar kulfi with pistachios and almonds, served in small bowls\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"ingredients\">Ingredients for 4 servings<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>500 ml whole milk<\/li>\n<li>100 ml unsweetened evaporated milk<\/li>\n<li>3 tablespoons sugar<\/li>\n<li>1 small pinch of saffron threads<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon ground cardamom<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons chopped pistachios, plus a little extra to serve if desired<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon chopped almonds<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon food-grade rose water, optional<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use unsweetened evaporated milk, rather than sweetened condensed milk, to match the recipe&#8217;s sugar balance.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"method\">How to make kesar kulfi<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Infuse the saffron.<\/strong> Reserve 3 tablespoons from the whole milk and warm them. Add the threads and steep for 10 minutes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduce the milk.<\/strong> Heat the remaining whole milk in a heavy-based pan. Simmer gently, stirring regularly and scraping the base, until reduced to roughly half.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add the flavours.<\/strong> Stir in the evaporated milk, sugar and cardamom until evenly combined.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Finish the mixture.<\/strong> Add the saffron milk and chopped nuts. Simmer gently for another 5 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the optional rose water.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cool and portion.<\/strong> Allow the mixture to cool, then divide between kulfi moulds or small freezer-safe containers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Freeze.<\/strong> Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours, or until firm.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Serve.<\/strong> Let it soften briefly before unmoulding or serving. Finish with extra pistachios if desired.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"tips\">Tips for flavour and texture<\/h2>\n<p>Gentle reduction gives the milk a fuller flavour. Stir regularly so it does not catch, and avoid a vigorous boil. Kulfi has a denser texture than churned ice cream; a short rest before serving makes it easier to enjoy.<\/p>\n<p>Rose water varies in strength. Add it cautiously so the floral flavour complements the saffron instead of overwhelming it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Do I need an ice-cream machine?<\/h3>\n<p>No. This recipe freezes directly in moulds or containers.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I use sweetened condensed milk?<\/h3>\n<p>It changes the recipe&#8217;s sweetness and texture. Use unsweetened evaporated milk for the stated formulation.<\/p>\n<h3>Which allergens are present?<\/h3>\n<p>The recipe contains milk, pistachios and almonds. Check the labels of all ingredients.<\/p>\n<h2>More saffron desserts<\/h2>\n<p>Try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/saffron-firni\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Afghan saffron firni<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/sholeh-zard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sholeh zard<\/a>. Explore the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/saffron-academy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Saffron Academy<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/buy-afghan-saffron\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">discover Saffrona saffron<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kesar kulfi is a dense, creamy frozen dessert scented with saffron and cardamom. This version uses gently reduced milk, pistachios and almonds, and sets in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-saffron-desserts-and-cakes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3857,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions\/3857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}