Firnee

Ingredients

Pudding

• 1 litrewhole milk
• 80 gcornflour
• 120 gcaster sugar
• ½ tspground cardamom, from about 8 pods
• 1 tbsprosewater
• 1 pinchsalt

To decorate

• 2 tbsppistachios, slivered
• 1 tbspalmonds, slivered
• a few strands of saffron, or a light dusting of ground cardamom

Directions

1. Slake the cornflour in 200 ml of the cold milk, whisking to a completely smooth cream with no dry specks.
2. Heat the remaining 800 ml of milk with the sugar, cardamom and salt in a heavy pan over medium heat until it steams and the sugar dissolves; do not let it boil over.
3. Pour a ladle of the hot milk into the cornflour mixture, whisk, then pour it all back into the pan in a steady stream, whisking hard the whole time.
4. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk and reaching into the corners of the pan, for 8 to 10 minutes; the mixture thickens suddenly and then must be cooked a further 2 minutes to lose its raw starch taste.
5. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon thickly and a whisk drawn through it leaves a track that closes slowly.
6. Take it off the heat, stir in the rosewater, and pass it through a fine sieve into a jug to catch any lumps.
7. Pour into a wide shallow dish or into six small bowls to a depth of about 2 cm; firnee is traditionally served shallow, not in a deep pot, so there is more surface for the nuts.
8. Press cling film onto the surface if you dislike a skin, then cool to room temperature and chill for at least 2 hours until set to a soft, spoonable cream.
9. Just before serving, scatter the slivered pistachios and almonds over the top, in the pattern or the initials Afghan cooks use for celebrations, and add a few saffron threads.

Technique

• Firnee is set with cornflour, not eggs and not rice, which is what makes it lighter and paler than Indian kheer or Turkish sutlac. It should wobble, not stand up.
• Add the rosewater off the heat. Its aroma is volatile and boils away in seconds, so a cooked-in rosewater tastes of nothing.
• Constant stirring is the whole technique. Cornflour catches on the base of the pan in a moment and a scorched firnee cannot be rescued.
• It is the standard dessert for Eid, for Nowruz and for the meal after a funeral, and is often made a day ahead.

Substitutions

• No rosewater: use 1 tsp vanilla or an extra pinch of cardamom, which is how many Kabul households make it anyway. Non-dairy versions with almond milk set the same way with the same cornflour ratio.

Variations

• Sheer payra is the fudgier cooked-down relative, cut into diamonds.
• Some Herat cooks stir in ground almonds for a nubbier texture and a richer set.

History

Cold rice-flour milk pudding of the Persian firni family, dusted with pistachio; served at Eid, weddings and funerals alike.

Frequently asked questions

What is Firnee?

Firnee is a dessert from Afghanistan: milk pudding thickened with cornstarch, scented with cardamom and pistachio. Cold rice-flour milk pudding of the Persian firni family, dusted with pistachio; served at Eid, weddings and funerals alike.

How long does Firnee take to make?

Firnee takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min plus 2 hr chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Firnee?

Yes, within limits. No rosewater: use 1 tsp vanilla or an extra pinch of cardamom, which is how many Kabul households make it anyway. Non-dairy versions with almond milk set the same way with the same cornflour ratio.

What is the most important thing to get right in Firnee?

Heat the remaining 800 ml of milk with the sugar, cardamom and salt in a heavy pan over medium heat until it steams and the sugar dissolves; do not let it boil over.