Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Anjeer aur Akhrot ki Kulfi
Anjeer aur Akhrot ki Kulfi (Frozen Parfait with Figs & Walnuts)

Anjeer aur Akhrot ki Kulfi

Frozen Parfait with Figs & Walnuts
VegetarianPrep 20 minutes plus chilling and freezing timeCook 45 minutes

A rich, dense Indian frozen dessert packed with chewy dried figs, crunchy walnuts, and aromatic cardamom. It is intensely creamy, sweet, and nutty with a velvety chilled texture.

cardamom

0.7 gAdded to the milk and cream before boiling (step 1)
01
Green cardamom pod · Elaichiseeds from, crushed
0.7 g4 pods
spice
Crush the seeds finely.

Everything else

01
Milk · Doodh
103 g100 ml
dairy
02
Light cream · Malai
101 g100 ml
dairy
03
Condensed milk · Milkmaid
389 g300 ml
dairy
04
Dried fig · Anjeerchopped into small pieces
60 g
fruit
05
Walnut · Akhrotchopped into small pieces
60 g
nut/seed
06
Pistachio nut · Pistasliced
16 g2 tablespoons
nut/seed
07
Almond · Badamslivered
27 g3 tablespoons
nut/seed
08
Rose syrup · Gulab Sharbatto serve
40 g2 tablespoons
sweetener

Method

  1. Combine 103 g milk, 100 g cream, and the cardamom in a heavy pan. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then lower the flame and simmer, stirring continuously, until reduced to roughly half its initial volume.
  2. Stir in 300 g condensed milk, followed by 60 g chopped figs and 60 g chopped walnuts, holding back a small pinch of each for garnish. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool completely to room temperature.
  3. Place the cooled base into the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours.
  4. Pour the thoroughly chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the appliance directions until it begins to firm up.
  5. Spoon the thickened mixture into kulfi moulds or ramekins and freeze for at least 4 hours until solidly set.
  6. Unmould the kulfi or serve directly in the dishes, garnished with the reserved figs and walnuts, 2 tablespoon sliced almonds, 3 tablespoon slivered pistachios, and a drizzle of 2 tablespoon rose syrup.

Don't have something?

Milk
  • Whole milk

    Use equal weight; provides the standard rich dairy fat and body expected in creamy Indian bases.

  • Single cream

    Dilute 3 parts cream with 1 part water to match the weight; yields a richer, glossier gravy that resists curdling.

  • Plain yogurt

    Whisk thoroughly and use equal weight; adds extra body and a mild pleasant acidity, best added off the heat.

Light cream
  • Single cream

    Use the same weight; almost identical richness, add off the heat to avoid splitting.

  • Cream

    Use 70% cream mixed with 30% milk by weight; closer to light cream and less likely to split.

  • Full cream milk

    Use the same weight but expect a thinner sauce; stir in off the heat and do not boil hard.

Green cardamom pod
  • Green cardamom seed

    Use 35 to 40% of the total pod weight; lightly bruise the seeds before frying in oil to release their essential oils.

  • Ground green cardamom

    Use 20 to 25% of the pod weight (about 1 generous pinch per pod); stir in toward the end of cooking so the delicate floral notes do not dissipate.

  • White cardamom pod

    Use 1:1 by pod count or weight; crack gently before using, though it is slightly less intensely floral.

Condensed milk
  • Milk powder

    For 100 g condensed milk, whisk 30 g milk powder with 40 g sugar, 30 g hot milk or water and 5 g butter until smooth. It will be slightly less glossy but works in sweets and curries.

  • Full cream milk

    For 100 g condensed milk, simmer 250 g full cream milk with 75 g sugar until reduced to about 100 g, stirring often. Takes 20–30 minutes and gives a fresher, less caramelised flavour.

  • Milk solids or milk powder

    Use 100 g khoya with 40 g sugar and 2–3 tablespoons milk, heating gently until smooth; it is thicker and richer, so loosen with milk as needed.

Dried fig
  • Dried apricot

    Use the same weight, chopped. More tart and less seedy; adjust sugar slightly.

  • Date

    Use 80% of the weight, chopped. Sweeter and softer, so reduce added sugar.

  • Raisin or sultana

    Use the same weight. Smaller and sweeter; reduce sugar and expect less fig texture.

Walnut
  • Almond

    Use the same weight; toast lightly. It is milder and less bitter.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; chop or grind. It is softer and sweeter.

  • Peanut

    Use the same weight; roast and rub off skins. It has a stronger flavour.

Pistachio nut
  • Pistachio

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel for a bright paste. This is the closest match.

  • Almond

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel. It is firmer, so grind a little longer and add a drop of milk if needed.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; soak in hot water for 15 minutes. It is softer and sweeter, so reduce sugar slightly.

Almond
  • Cashew nut

    Use equal weight. Soak in warm water and grind to a paste or fry identically; yields a slightly creamier and sweeter sauce.

  • Shelled peanut

    Use equal weight. Lightly roast, skin, and grind; introduces a heavier body and a pronounced roasted-nut aroma.

Rose syrup
  • Rosewater

    For 30 g syrup, use 1 tsp rosewater mixed with 20–25 g sugar dissolved in 1 tbsp water.

  • Granulated sugar

    Make a thin sugar syrup and add rosewater; use the same weight of sugar as syrup, plus a few drops of rosewater.

  • Honey

    Use the same weight but it is darker; add a few drops of rosewater to restore the floral note.

Similar dishes

Doodh ka Sherbet
Milk-based Sherbet
Doodh ka Sherbet is lighter and perfumed with floral saffron, whereas this dish is much richer, nuttier, and chewily fruity.
  • Same: Both recipes rely on a milk base flavored with green cardamom.
  • Different: Doodh ka Sherbet is prepared as a chilled liquid drink infused with saffron and granulated sugar rather than frozen solid with figs and walnuts.
No-Churn Rose & Cardamom Ice Cream
No-Churn Rose & Cardamom Ice Cream tastes creamy and floral from rose water with cardamom and pistachio, and it is less nutty and chewy than this dish’s fig-and-walnut kulfi.
  • Same: No-Churn Rose & Cardamom Ice Cream shares condensed milk, green cardamom, pistachio and a rose flavour with this dish.
  • Different: No-Churn Rose & Cardamom Ice Cream uses double cream, rose water and dried rose petals and is set in the freezer, while this dish uses milk, light cream, rose syrup, figs, walnuts, almonds and pistachio and is a kulfi-style parfait.
Baadam ka Doodh
Almond Milkshake
Baadam ka Doodh tastes lighter and less sweet, with saffron-cardamom almond milk flavor and none of this dish's dense creamy fig-and-walnut richness.
  • Same: Baadam ka Doodh shares milk, green cardamom, and almonds with this dish.
  • Different: Baadam ka Doodh lacks cream, condensed milk, dried figs, walnuts, pistachios, and rose syrup; it adds saffron and sugar and is a hot-or-chilled almond milk drink rather than a frozen kulfi parfait.
Aloo ki Kheer
Milk & Potato Dessert
Aloo ki Kheer tastes milder and more starchy from the potato, with less nuttiness and none of this dish’s dense, chewy, frozen creaminess.
  • Same: Aloo ki Kheer shares with this dish a milk-based Indian dessert profile, green cardamom, pistachio garnish, and a rose-flavored element.
  • Different: Aloo ki Kheer uses shredded potato, sugar, ghee or butter, raisins, and rosewater as a simmered milk pudding, while this dish uses condensed milk, light cream, dried figs, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and rose syrup as a frozen kulfi.