Firni

This is my mom’s recipe for Firni, a delicious Afghan cardamom-flavored pudding. I have only prepared it with her so far, so I do not have any modifications to suggest and am recording it down verbatim.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar (or less)
• 1 teaspoons fresh ground cardamom
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped or ground pistachio

Preparation

1. Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of the milk.
2. Heat the remaining milk in a pan and, when hot (but not boiling), add the sugar. (More or less sugar may be used according to taste.) Stir well.
3. When the milk is close to boiling, slowly add the cornstarch paste to the mixture, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil and add the cardamom. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
4. Pour the Firni into a shallow serving dish (or several small dishes), decorate it with the pistachios, and allow it to cool.