A creamy, rich and easy to make Indian milky popsicle recipe flavored with rose and adorned with pistachios – this one is a royal dessert for sure!
Summers are synonymous with ice-creams, juices, sorbets and everything cold, refreshing and yummy. So, to keep up with the season’s vibe, here is my recipe of a creamy rose and pista kulfi. Kulfi, is a globally popular Indian ice-cream, that is made with flavoured, evaporated milk. Besides being a summer treat, it is also a dessert choice after a royal Indian dinner, like biryanis and kebabs. Rose and pista, both are classic kulfi flavors and when you combine both, the result is truly royal. But for us, no matter the season or cuisine, kulfi remains our top choice for dessert. And this kulfi recipe is so easy that I tend to make it whenever a craving for it hits! Typically, this milky popsicle has a conical shape, that come through by preparing the milk mixture and freezing them in their conical metal moulds. Alternately, kulfis are also set and served in small earthenware pots, called matka kulfi.
I have made mine in small metal cones, that I bought online. So, you could do the same or even use plastic, disposable cups to set your dessert in. I have also inserted popsicle sticks to my kulfis, for the ease of having them. But if you choose to make yours in earthenware pots, then you won’t need the sticks.
Easy rose pista kulfi
Kulfis are made by cooking and reducing milk to a thick, creamy consistency. This normally takes quite a lot of time for the milk to evaporate and become creamy. My homemade rose and pista kulfi recipe not only needs just a handful of ingredients but it is also a quicker recipe. This is because, I cook and reduce the milk to about half it’s quantity and then add in condensed milk and cornflour slurry to give it that creamy and luscious consistency. In this way, I not only need much lesser amount of milk to make the kulfi but also lesser time. Why slog in the kitchen when all that you want to do is enjoy some creamy rose and pista kulfi? 🙂
To give the dessert it’s rose flavour, I have used gulkand and rose syrup and for the pistachios I have simply shelled and chopped up the nuts . Gulkand is rose petal jam, which is also an easily available ingredient. This is a Persian word, where gul means rose and kand is sugar. Besides adding sweetness to the kulfi, the gulkand also imparts a beautiful rose-y aroma to it. Now, since the jam, rose syrup and the condensed milk add their sweetness to the dessert, I have not added extra sugar to my recipe. But if you perfer your dessert sweeter, adjust the amount of sugar to be added accordingly.
Serving suggestions
Once you’ve cooked the kulfi milk mixture and added the aromatics to it, you will need to let it cool down to room temperature. Then pour the mixture in their moulds and let it set for eight hours or overnight. If you would like to insert popsicle sticks to the kulfi, then do so in about 2-3 hours while it is freezing. This way the stick will stay in it, while your rose and pista kulfi sets. When done, remove the mould from your freezer. Take each of the moulds and roll them in between your palms to gently coerce them out of it. If that doesn’t work, dip the mould in a glass of room temperature water and roll them once again. This should make it easier for the kulfi to slide out.
If you feel like it, garnish the kulfi with rose petals and chopped pistachios before serving. I am sure you will love this creamy, fragrant and yummy dessert once you’ve made it. Do share your kulfi pictures with me on Instagram and Pinterest. I’d love to see them!
Some more of my dessert recipes, for the summer:
Eat hearty!
Rose and pista kulfi
Ingredients
- 500 ml full fat milk
- 3 tbsp gulkand rose petal jam
- 3 tbsp rose syrup Roohafza also works
- 3 tbsp condensed milk
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 4 tbsp pistachios chopped
- 1-2 tbsp dried edible rose petals optional
Instructions
- Make a cornflour slurry with 3 tablespoons of milk and set aside
- Set a pan with the remaining milk to boil. When it starts to boil, scrape the sides, stir it and let it boil again - continue until the milk reduces to half
- Add the condensed milk and mix. When it comes to a boil again, add the corn starch slurry. Once the milk thickens, remove from flame
- Stir in the rose syrup, gulkand and pistachios. Leave this to cool and come to room temperature
- Pour them in kulfi moulds and cover them with their lids or aluminum foil (to insert popsicle sticks). Freeze for 8 hours or overnight
- To de-mould, dip each mould in a glass of room temperature water. Roll them between your palms and run a butter knife around the edges to remove
- Garnish with edible rose petals and chopped pistachios and serve!
Notes
- Using the same process you could add any flavour to your kulfis. Add flavors of your choice in step 4
- I have not added any sugar/sweetener, since the gulkand, rose syrup and condensed impart enough sweetness for my taste. You may add any sweetener of your choice, if you wish
- ml - millilitre
- tsp - teaspoon
- tbsp - tablespoon
