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Lahori kulfa
قلفہ (kulfa): thick slices of nutty home-made kulfi on a plate with soft falooda noodles and rabri (plus 6 hours freezing)
On hot Lahore nights, families stroll to Gawalmandi food street and the old shops near Anarkali for kulfa: a whole cone of dense, cardamom-scented kulfi is sliced into fat discs, laid over soft falooda noodles and spooned over with rabri, the thick sweetened milk. It is cold, chewy and creamy in every mouthful. Contains milk and tree nuts (pistachio and almond); the falooda noodles may contain wheat. Chef's tip: scrape the bottom and sides of the pan constantly as the milk reduces; one scorched patch flavours the whole batch.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the kulfi
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ⅛ oz full-fat milk powder
- 3 ⅛ oz sugar
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 oz pistachioschopped
- ⅔ oz blanched almondschopped
For the rabri
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
To serve
- 2 tbsp rose syrup (optional)
- 1 tbsp pistachio slivers (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring 4 ¼ cups whole milk to the boil in a wide, heavy pan, whisk in 2 ⅛ oz full-fat milk powder, then simmer briskly for 35 minutes, stirring and scraping the base and sides every minute, until reduced to about half.
35 minStep 2: At the same time, simmer 2 cups whole milk in a second wide pan for 25 minutes, pulling the skin that forms to the side, until thick and creamy. Stir in 2 tbsp sugar and chill.
25 minStep 3: Stir 3 ⅛ oz sugar, ½ tsp ground cardamom, 1 oz pistachios and ⅔ oz blanched almonds into the kulfi base and cook 3 minutes more. Common mistake: stopping too soon; thin milk freezes icy instead of dense and creamy.
3 minStep 4: Cool completely, then pour into a small loaf tin or kulfi moulds, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours, until hard.
5 minStep 5: Cook 1 ¾ oz falooda noodles (thin cornflour vermicelli) in boiling water for 4–5 minutes until soft and see-through, drain, rinse in cold water and chill.
5 minStep 6: Dip the tin briefly in hot water, turn out the kulfi and cut into thick slices. Lay over the falooda, spoon over the rabri, drizzle with 2 tbsp rose syrup and scatter 1 tbsp pistachio slivers. Serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lahori kulfa take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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