ZAFRANI PHIRNI/FIRNI - KESAR BADAM FIRNI

    Phirni/Firni reminds me of Eid & along with Eid comes the brooding thoughts of tasty Biriyanis from our neighbours in India.  During Ramzaan, our neighbour would never fail to send us Phirni/Firni and the famous Nombu Kanji. And least to mention their famous Mutton Biriyani and the Brinjal curry. I am a big fan of all these recipes. Firni is a simple dessert prepared with Rice & Milk.  The first time I tasted this dessert, I thought it was made with Semolina & later realized that it was nothing but powdered Rice.  I learnt this recipe from our neighbour's grandmother during my college days. This is a foolproof recipe and I strictly follow the measurements, no variations whatsoever.  This recipe sticks to the basic Firni/Phirni recipe with a slight variation & that's the addition of Almond Paste & rich garnishing.

     Zafrani Phirni or Shahi Firni is nothing but a decadent version of Firni, where the dessert is cooked along with preferred Nuts & elaborately adorned with garnishing like slivered Nuts, Rose Petals & Saffron Strands which makes this Phirni rich, scrumptious & gives its name Zafrani/Shahi Phirni.  What do you least expect from a delicacy introduced by the Mughals.  Though the origin of the dessert is believed to be Middle Eastern, & it can also be seen in Lebanese, Moroccan & Afghani Cuisine. A lot of innovative variations are found with this recipe these days, the Pista Firni, Mango Firni, Rose/Gulab Firni, Kesar(Saffron) Firni, etc., & etc., 

 

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Cuisine - Indian
Recipe Type - Sweet, Dessert
Difficulty - Medium
Serves - 3 - 4
Author - SM  

Soaking Time - 2 Hours
Preparation Time - 30 - 40 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 - 45 Minutes

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HOW TO COOK ZAFRANI PHIRNI/FIRNI - 

KESAR BADAM FIRNI

ZAFRANI PHIRNI/FIRNI - KESAR BADAM FIRNI

INGREDIENTS:

For Zafrani Phirni/Firni:

Basmati Rice / Long Grained Rice - 3 Tablespoons
Almonds - 3 Tablespoons
Sugar -   1- 11/4 Cup
Milk - 5 Cups
Cardamoms - 4 Nos.
Kewra Essence - a few Drops (Optional)

 

For Garnishing:

Cashew Nuts - Few
Almonds - Few
Pistachios - Few
Saffron - Few Strands (Optional)
Rose Petals - a few (optional)

ZAFRANI PHIRNI/FIRNI - KESAR BADAM FIRNI

METHOD:

• Dry roast the saffron strands for few seconds, soak it in 1 Tablespoon of warm milk & keep it aside.
• Blanch the Almonds or soak it overnight in ample of water.
• Peel the Almonds & reserve a few Almonds for garnishing.
• Grind the remaining Almonds into a coarse paste & leave it aside.
  
• Cut/Sliver the reserved Almonds into small pieces (for garnishing).
• Cut Cashew Nuts and Pistachios into small pieces.
• Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours. 
• Drain the water and allow the rice to dry on an absorbent kitchen towel for 1/2 an hour.
• Pulse the rice in a mixer for a few seconds, to make it into a coarse powder.
• Mix the rice powder & the ground Almond paste in cold milk and stir well until there are no lumps.
• Boil the rest of the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan.
• Add rice-almond mix gradually into the boiling milk and stir well.
• Cook on a very low flame for 10–15 minutes, stirring continuously.
• When the rice is cooked, stir in the sugar along with cardamom powder and mix well.
• Pour in the Saffron soaked Milk and give a quick stir.
  
• Cook on a low flame for a few more minutes.
• Drizzle a few drops of Kewra Essence and give a quick stir.
• Adjust the consistency of the Firni to your preference.
• Switch off the flame and allow it to cool down.
  
• Chill Zafrani Phirni/Firni for a few hours in the refrigerator.
• Serve Phirni/Firni chilled garnished with Cashew Nuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Rose Petals and Saffron strands.

ZAFRANI PHIRNI/FIRNI - KESAR BADAM FIRNI

 

NOTES:

• Can use any variety of long-grained rice for the recipe (Basmati or Jasmine Rice). The aromatic rice varieties would suit well.
• When using normal rice, can add few drops of Kewra Essence to get the natural Pandan-like aroma in the rice.
• Soaking and dry grinding the rice into a coarse powder perfectly gives Phirni/Firni, the desired consistency.
• Some recipes call for grinding the rice into a paste or powder it into a fine powder.
• Choose your preferred method.
  
• Mix the powdered rice & the ground Almond paste in cold milk just before adding it to the boiling milk.
• Stirring it continuously is to ensure there are no lumps and to avoid creaming of the milk.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pan, to avoid sticking and burning at the bottom, which will spoil the taste of Phirni/Firni.
• Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your preference.
• Adding saffron is purely optional.
• Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your preference.
• Add Gulkhand (Rose Petals preserved in thick sugar Syrup) or rose essence/rose syrup to make Rose Firni or Gulab Firni.
• Can avoid adding Almonds & convert this Firni recipe into a simple version.