By Humaira and Katie
Firnee is a sweet, cardamom-scented Afghan pudding that is usually reserved for holidays and special events. When Humaira visited her native country a couple of years ago as part of her work for Afghan schools, she was honored at a number of dinners. Inevitably, firnee was paraded out at the end of each of these occasions with a special kind of pride. Each hostess would put her own personal “stamp” on the dish -- rose water in one, nuts in another – giving each firnee its own unique flavor.
Our personal favorite is a firnee that is gently scented with cardamom and topped with chopped pistachios. And although it’s not traditional, we like to serve the dish topped with fresh seasonal fruit such as raspberries. The photos reflect a traditional firnee and one decorated with fresh fruit.
Cardamom Pudding with Pistachios
Firnee
6 tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted pistachios (or almonds)
1 cup raspberries, blueberries or sliced strawberries (optional)
In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup of the milk to form a thin paste, stirring with a fork until smooth. Pour the remainder of the milk and the cream into a medium-size saucepan and cook over high heat until simmering but not yet boiling. Add the sugar and salt and stir for about a minute until the sugar dissolves. Next, add the cornstarch mixture in a steady stream, stirring all the while. Add the cardamom and continue to cook, stirring continuously, another 5 minutes at a low boil until the mixture thickens.
Pour the pudding into a shallow bowl. Immediately sprinkle the nuts over the top of the firnee. If you really love the taste of cardamom, stir an extra ¼ teaspoon of it into the nuts before you top the pudding.
Refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours. You can make the firnee a day ahead of time. Serve with fresh berries when they are in season for a splash of color.
Serves 4 to 6
Note: if you want more texture, stir an additional ¼ cup of pistachios into the pudding before you
pour it in the dish.
Afghanistan, Afghanistani, Afghan , Afghani, Afghan Food, Afghan Cooking, Afghan Recipes, Afghan women, Afghan Culture, Kabul, Kebab, Middle Eastern Food, Flat Bread, Bolani, Nan, pomegranate, Afghan Spices, Afghan Restaurants
Traditional style with just pistachios
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i love this recipe because i tried it at home and made firnee and its so deliciouse i loved
:D :D :D
soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
delicoiuse
love this recipe
Posted by: Setarra Smith | 07/09/2012 at 11:04 PM
Oooh mazadaar yumiie! I Loove Firni:D Please Lutfan will u tell me how to make Maleeda and Aleem..I would Love to have with chai it's my favorites afghan sweets. Thnxs for your amazing blog! Khuda Hafeez
Posted by: Emma Lalah | 03/17/2012 at 03:50 PM
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
give thanks to ALLAH for the food that you are eating.
Posted by: sony | 03/12/2011 at 09:38 AM
The pudding will thicken similar to a chocolate or vanilla pudding. Good luck!
Posted by: Humaira | 08/25/2010 at 09:19 AM
Please can you let me know how the final texture is supposed to be. Will it be a bit liquidy or fully thick? Thanks
Posted by: UmmBinat | 08/24/2010 at 07:36 PM
Shamla, how are you? Well, if the experts loved it then it has passed the test. We all miss you.
xoxo
Posted by: Humaira | 05/12/2010 at 03:03 PM
I tried this for this year's Mother's Day gathering of all my aunts - and it was an AWESOME hit! :)
Yummmaaaalicious!
Posted by: - Shamla from Singapore - | 05/09/2010 at 02:55 AM
I can almost smell the fragrance of this through the computer screen. I love all things cardamom.
Posted by: Carolyn Jung | 09/11/2009 at 08:24 PM
I think my husband will love this.
Posted by: Robin M. | 09/02/2009 at 05:00 PM