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Kulche birinji
Rice flour cardamom cookies
کلچه برنجی: Afghan rice-flour cookies with cardamom and pistachio
On the morning of Eid, or when Nowruz comes round in March, Afghan households set out a dish of kulche birinji next to the sugared almonds and dried fruit for every visitor. These small, snow-white rounds are made from rice flour, powdered sugar and ghee, scented with cardamom and sometimes rose water, and they dissolve on the tongue almost as soon as you bite. A pinch of ground pistachio pressed into the centre of each gives colour. Serve them with green tea, the way they are offered in Kabul. They are naturally gluten free and eggless. Browning is the common mistake: they should come out as pale as they went in, just firm on the base. Chef's tip: let the dough rest for 20 minutes after mixing so the rice flour drinks up the ghee; it becomes far easier to roll smooth, crack-free balls.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 oz gheesoft but not melted
- 3 ½ oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp rose water
- 7 oz fine rice flour
To finish
- 2 tbsp pistachiosvery finely ground
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Beat 4 oz ghee and 3 ½ oz icing sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 tsp rose water.
4 minStep 2: Add 7 oz fine rice flour and ¼ tsp gluten-free baking powder and mix, then press it together with your hands into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan) and line a tray with baking paper.
Step 4: Roll the dough into 20 balls the size of a walnut and set them on the tray 3 cm apart. Flatten each slightly and press the centre with the back of a small spoon or a thimble to make a little hollow.
Step 5: Drop a pinch of 2 tbsp pistachios into each hollow.
Step 6: Bake for 18–20 minutes, until set and just firm on the base but still white on top; small cracks round the edges are normal.
19 minStep 7: Leave on the tray until completely cold, as they are fragile while warm. Store in an airtight tin for up to two weeks.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kulche birinji take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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