Malai Kulfi Recipe | Kesar Pista Kulfi Recipe
Malai Kulfi Recipe | Kesar Pista Kulfi Recipe | Stick Kulfi | Step by step procedure to make Creamy Kulfi Ice Cream Recipe at home
Malai Kulfi Recipe is a traditional Indian Ice Cream Dessert Recipe.
This recipe can be prepared with just 3 ingredients that are easily available in your kitchen. It’s rich, creamy texture will make you feel so satisfied!
What is Kulfi?
Kulfi is a frozen dessert recipe made from milk and sugar. It is said to be popular in the Indian subcontinent.
It is similar to that of an ice cream, but slightly differs in taste and texture.
Kulfi can be served in matka (clay pot) or frozen sticks or moulds. When it is served in clay pot, its called matka kulfi ; whereas, when served in sticks its known as kulfi.
There are lots of kulfi varieties and kesar pista kulfi is one amongst them. You may also try Matka Kulfi Recipe which is quite similar to malai kulfi but they are served in small mud/clay pots.
What is Malai Kulfi?
This recipe uses full cream milk, where malai is scraped from the sides and mixed in milk. This helps to thicken milk faster and also enhances the taste.
I would sometimes not have much time for preparing this dish, but yet I wish to have it. In such cases, I use a little corn flour mixed in water and add it to the milk. By doing so, it fastens the process of thickening the milk.
Yet I’m not so much interested in using any thickening agents and mostly end up following the traditional method.
Traditional Method:
These kulfi recipes are prepared by reducing the milk until the thick malai is collected. This collected malai is then transferred to kulfi moulds and are frozen until it gets dense.
By doing so, the kulfis are given a good shape.
The consistency you achieve before transferring to the matka’s is popularly known as Rabri (a thick creamy dessert).
One Quick Method:
You may add mawa or khoya or khova to the milk and then cook. This definitely reduces a lot of cooking time. If the mawa used doesn’t contain sugar, then you may add condensed milk as a sweetener. Else do not add anything else.
I personally prefer using the traditional method of preparing matka kulfi or kulfi, as it gives more richness and feels so creamy in every bite!
You may find the tips & considerations at the bottom.
Step by step procedure to prepare Matka Malai Kulfi Recipe?
Firstly, use a heavy bottomed pan or pot or kadai. This ensures that the milk doesn’t burn easily. Also, this traditional method of preparing kulfi, makes it convenient when you use a thicker-bottomed pan as it is time-consuming.
Pour in the milk. Make sure it is full cream milk or cow’s milk. I have used cow’s milk for this recipe.
Heat on high flame. Give it an initial mix. Add milk powder (dry milk powder). Mix well until no lumps. Adding milk powder gives the kulfi a creamy texture and enhances the taste.
Allow it to start boiling. Once it starts boiling, add sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. You could also add condensed milk or mawa at this stage instead of sugar. Combine it well with the milk.
Allow it to boil again on high flame. When it tries to overflow, stir it then. If tries to overflow further, then reduce the flame to medium. Once sugar dissolves do not stir continuously.
Stirring continuously will slower the cooking process even more. So make sure to stir occasionally to avoid burning.
I suggest you scrape the sides of the pan to collect the malai and mix it along with the milk. This process helps in reducing the milk faster and also avoids burning of milk on the sides. You may also add 2 tsp cornflour or cornstarch to thicken the milk quicker without using any chemical thickening agents.
Continue boiling and stirring occasionally until the milk is reduced to 1/4th quantity. Add some crushed or powdered cardamom. This enhances the flavour of the matka malai kulfi recipe. Also add some chopped cashews, pistachios and badam (these are optional though).
Turn off the flame and let the milk cool completely before transferring it to any tumbler or glass or kulfi moulds. Once it is completely cooled, transfer it to any of the above-mentioned cups. Cover it with a foil paper or a cling wrap to avoid crystallization on the top surface.
Make sure to seal it tight. You may also use a rubber band or any elastic to seal it tight.
Make small cuts with a knife on the foil, to insert the ice cream sticks or kulfi sticks easily. You may also use the ice cream sticks that you once ate and washed and kept safely for later use. Today, I have used the ice cream sticks that I once used and had cleaned and kept for later use.
Freeze for at least 7-8 hours or overnight. In some cases, u may have to freeze it for an even longer time depending upon the temperature of your freezer unit.
Once frozen and set completely. It’s time to demould it now. Initially it will be difficult to remove it from the mould or glass.
Hence, take some lukewarm water in a bowl or glass. Make sure the water is not hot. Else the kulfi will melt completely. Dip in the water for 2-3 seconds only. So the kulfi is released from the glass easily without breaking.
Now, gently rotate and pull the kulfi.
Enjoy it immediately! If it melts, then try to freeze it again.
Recipe Card:
Ingredients
- 500ml milk - full cream milk
- 1/2 cup milk powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cardamom - crushed or powdered
- nuts - chopped - cashews/pistachios/badam
Instructions
- Pour milk in a thick bottomed pan.
- Add milk powder & stir until no lumps.
- Bring it to a boil.
- Add sugar. Stir continuously until sugar dissolves.
- Continue cooking on medium flame until the milk reduces to 1/2 quantity.
- Add cardamom and nuts. Mix well.
- Milk reduces to 1/4th quantity.
- Turn off the flame. Allow it to cool completely.
- Transfer to a glass or tumbler or kulfi mould.
- Cover with foil or cling wrap to avoid crystallization.
- Make cuts on foil to insert sticks.
- Freeze 8 hours or overnight.
- Once set completely, dip in lukewarm water to release kulfi easily from the mould or glass.
- Enjoy!
Tips & Considerations:
1. Always use full cream milk - being a traditional method it gives good taste to the kulfi. 2. To avoid refined sugar, you can substitute it with mawa or khoya or condensed milk too. 3. Crushed or powdered cardamom enhances the flavour of the recipe. 4. Avoid skimmed milk. 5. Patiently stir and scrape the sides to collect the malai until the milk reduces to 1/4th quantity. 6. Stir avoids burning of milk. 7. Make sure to use a heavy bottomed pan or a non-stick pan. 8. If you don't have kulfi moulds handy, you may use stainless steel tumblers or any paper cups or even glass or ceramic pots. 9. Never forget to cover the glass or matka or moulds with a aluminium foil or cling wrap before freezing - this prevents crystalization on the top and avoids harder top surface.
You may also try my other dessert varieties: